secret

American  

[see-krit] / ˈsi krɪt /

adjective

1. 

   done, made, or conducted without the knowledge of others.

   secret negotiations.

   Synonyms:

   covert, hidden, clandestine

   Antonyms:

   manifest, open

2. kept from the knowledge of any but the initiated or privileged.

   a secret password.

   Synonyms:

   confidential, private

3. faithful or cautious in keeping confidential matters confidential; close-mouthed; discreet.

   Synonyms:

   reticent, secretive, close

4. designed or working to escape notice, knowledge, or observation: the secret police.

   a secret drawer;

   the secret police.

5. secluded, sheltered, or withdrawn.

   a secret hiding place.

6. beyond ordinary human understanding; esoteric.

   Synonyms:

   mysterious, cryptic, occult

7. (of information, a document, etc.)

   1. bearing the classification secret.

   2. limited to persons authorized to use information documents, etc., so classified.

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noun

• secrets
  plural

1. something that is or is kept secret, hidden, or concealed.

2. a mystery.

   the secrets of nature.

3. a reason or explanation not immediately or generally apparent.

4. a method, formula, plan, etc., known only to the initiated or the few: a trade secret.

   the secret of happiness;

   a trade secret.

5. a classification assigned to information, a document, etc., considered less vital to security than top-secret but more vital than confidential, and limiting its use to persons who have been cleared, as by various government agencies, as trustworthy to handle such material.

6. (initial capital letter) a variable prayer in the Roman and other Latin liturgies, said inaudibly by the celebrant after the offertory and immediately before the preface.

idioms

1. in secret, unknown to others; in private; secretly.

   A resistance movement was already being organized in secret.

secret British  

/ ˈsiːkrɪt /

adjective

1. kept hidden or separate from the knowledge of others

2. known only to initiates

   a secret password

3. hidden from general view or use

   a secret garden

4. able or tending to keep things private or to oneself

5. operating without the knowledge of outsiders

   a secret society

6. outside the normal range of knowledge

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noun

1. something kept or to be kept hidden

2. something unrevealed; mystery

3. an underlying explanation, reason, etc, that is not apparent

   the secret of success

4. a method, plan, etc, known only to initiates

5. liturgy a variable prayer, part of the Mass, said by the celebrant after the offertory and before the preface

6. among the people who know a secret

secret More Idioms  

1. see in secret; open secret.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• secretness
  noun
• supersecret
  noun
• nonsecret
  adjective
• quasi-secret
  adjective
• semisecret
  adjective
• ultrasecret
  adjective
• secretly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• secrets
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of secret

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English secrette, from Old French secret, from Latin sēcrētus “hidden,” originally past participle of sēcernere “to secern ”

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Explanation

A secret is something you don’t want everybody to know, like your secret crush on the bus driver. A secret can also be a mystery known to only a few — the secret of the lost pyramid. There might be a secret passageway in your basement that only you know about. You could have a secret passion for Japanese anime comics and share that secret with only your closest friends. If you're "in on a secret" — plans for a surprise birthday party, for instance — that means you're in the inner circle of people in the know. Everybody has to keep the secret, or the party won't be a surprise.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

secret secrets

Scientists at the University of Warwick have uncovered a surprising secret inside a superconductor that researchers have studied for 40 years.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026

The film wraps up in 2017, when Alberto, a young historian, unearths a family secret.

From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: At a train platform at King’s Cross station in London, a secret portal leads to a hidden world of wizards, trolls, ghosts and other wonders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Gowdy was one of several witnesses who were then questioned by the IRA, conducting its own secret investigation running parallel to police inquiries.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

Clare said, even though, in some secret corner of his heart, he feared it was.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Alfozan’s arrest raised the specter of spies in Silicon Valley, where firms working on cutting-edge technology have long warned staff that bad actors could try to steal their secrets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

Jeffrey Epstein had two key aides - why do they still control his money and secrets?

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Genres Book Society, a new bookshop coming to L.A., is hiding a few secrets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

"The island has been holding on to its secrets and it continues to do so. I think eventually someone will find conclusive evidence here," he added.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

The girl who had known all his secrets, the girl who had taken a piece of him to her grave.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

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Related Words

• classified
• covert
• furtive
• hush-hush
• mysterious
• obscure
• private
• secluded
• undercover
• underground
• undisclosed
• unknown
• unpublished

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