secrecy
Americannoun
-
the state or condition of being secret, hidden, or concealed.
a meeting held in secrecy.
- Synonyms:
- covertness, stealth, privacy, confidentiality
-
the state of being apart from other people; privacy; seclusion.
-
ability to keep a secret.
-
the habit or characteristic of being secretive; reticence.
-
Archaic. something that is secret or mysterious.
the secrecies of nature.
noun
-
the state or quality of being secret
-
the state of keeping something secret
-
the ability or tendency to keep things secret
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of secrecy
1375–1425; obsolete secre (< Middle French secré secret ) + -cy; replacing late Middle English secretee, equivalent to secre + -tee -ty 2
Explanation
Secrecy is a word for a state or condition where things are concealed or hidden. CIA agents and conspirators know a lot about secrecy. Since a secret is something some people don't know, secrecy is all about keeping things private or concealed. Being a spy involves a lot of secrecy. When information is important or sensitive, people try to create secrecy. Also, you can say secrecy is a quality people have, like courage. Someone who doesn't gossip has a good sense of secrecy. When all lips are sealed, there's secrecy.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It is unacceptable that a public institution already so clouded in secrecy either chooses to or must rely on a private consulting firm.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
The dispute highlights a longstanding conflict between government secrecy and the public’s right to know.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
His partnership with Aponte is shrouded in secrecy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Preparations for the event have been conducted in the utmost secrecy, with top reporters from the usually staid New York Times forced to sleuth through local hotels for hints of the guest list.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
“Indeed—and it was something so shocking that Pudge could only write about it in invisible ink, and was sworn to secrecy by the admiral, too.”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Once the eye gets used to the quirks and secrecies of his inimitable shorthand, it discovers how deeply regional an artist he was.
From Time Magazine Archive
Armed with a special permit from the Tsar he penetrated the secrecies of Peter and Paul fortress and�unheard of!�photographed the tombs of the Tsar's imperial ancestors.
From Time Magazine Archive
It has the air of going profoundly into the secrecies of love and joy and truth, but it contains hardly a sentence that would waken a ruffle on the surface of the shallowest spirit.
From The Art of Letters by Lynd, Robert
The younger girl was a lithe, farouche animal, who mistrusted all approach, and would have none of the petty secrecies and jealousies of schoolgirl intimacy.
From The Rainbow by Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)
No man could rest calm under that glance; no man could forbear the attempt to decipher the hidden secrecies of its message, and no man could succeed in the task.
From Hugo A Fantasia on Modern Themes by Bennett, Arnold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
