secrecy
Americannoun
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the state or condition of being secret, hidden, or concealed.
a meeting held in secrecy.
- Synonyms:
- covertness, stealth, privacy, confidentiality
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the state of being apart from other people; privacy; seclusion.
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ability to keep a secret.
-
the habit or characteristic of being secretive; reticence.
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Archaic. something that is secret or mysterious.
the secrecies of nature.
noun
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the state or quality of being secret
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the state of keeping something secret
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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.
However, depositing more than $10,000 into your bank account will likely trigger a mandatory currency-transaction report to both the Internal Revenue and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network under the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026
Secrecy, he said, “is completely contrary to how we are approaching this research.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025
Secrecy clouds the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 21, 2024
"Secrecy is not always a sign of something suspect."
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2024
Secrecy was so critical, only the highest-ranking officers knew where the men were being sent.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
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.
