secrecy

American  

[see-kruh-see] / ˈsi krə si /

noun

plural

secrecies

1. the state or condition of being secret, hidden, or concealed.

   a meeting held in secrecy.

   Synonyms:

   covertness, stealth, privacy, confidentiality

2. the state of being apart from other people; privacy; seclusion.

3. ability to keep a secret.

4. the habit or characteristic of being secretive; reticence.

5. Archaic. something that is secret or mysterious.

   the secrecies of nature.

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secrecy British  

/ ˈsiːkrɪsɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being secret

2. the state of keeping something secret

3. the ability or tendency to keep things secret

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Other Word Forms

• antisecrecy adjective
• nonsecrecy noun
• prosecrecy adjective
• semisecrecy noun
• supersecrecy noun

Etymology

Origin of secrecy

1375–1425; obsolete secre (< Middle French secré secret ) + -cy; replacing late Middle English secretee, equivalent to secre + -tee -ty ²

Example Sentences

Most company insiders tasked with drumming up new potential uses and products use a coded version to maintain the secrecy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Despite the secrecy, snippets of information are likely to slip out of Barcelona as the week progresses - that's just the way F1 is.

From BBC

Scappaticci helped create a legal precedent on state secrecy that is routinely cited by the government to this day.

From BBC

Actual use of the technology by militaries is still in its infancy and is shrouded in secrecy.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Why is the Environment Agency not saying what's happening more publicly so that we can see what actions they're taking and the secrecy around dumping sites can be eroded?" she asked.

From BBC

Related Words

• confidence
• confidentiality
• isolation
• mystery
• reticence
• silence
• solitude