secrecy

[ see-kruh-see ]

noun

, plural se·cre·cies

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

   a meeting held in secrecy.

   Synonyms: covertness, confidentiality, stealth, privacy

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.

secrecy

/ 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

Other Words From

• anti·secre·cy adjective
• non·secre·cy noun plural nonsecrecies
• pro·secre·cy adjective
• semi·secre·cy noun
• super·secre·cy noun plural supersecrecies

Word History and Origins

Origin of secrecy¹

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

Example Sentences

The infusions, Hart writes in the Times story, were consistent with “a culture of coercion, secrecy and possible medical malpractice in the Oregon Project.”

From Outside Online

Arise and most of its corporate clients consider preserving the secrecy of this arrangement to be vital.

From ProPublica

Palantir began trading Wednesday as a public company, ending a 17-year tradition of secrecy surrounding the software business co-founded by Peter Thiel.

From Fortune

Crump added that the juror accused Cameron of “hiding behind secrecy requirements while misleading the public about what evidence the grand jury actually saw.”

From Essence.com

At issue is the use of “secrecy envelopes,” which are designed to protect the privacy of the voter.

From Washington Post

Some secrets, it seems, must be kept even from elected representatives who could still be sworn to secrecy.

From The Daily Beast

The FSLN-controlled legislative assembly approved the mega-project under a cloud of secrecy in a record seven days.

From The Daily Beast

To date, much of the details of the diplomacy and even the interim deal between Iran and the West are shrouded in secrecy.

From The Daily Beast

But the secrecy and fear surrounding the once-successful quarantine has now put the region in even greater danger.

From The Daily Beast

So more than half of this outside money is now spread around behind either partial or total secrecy.

From The Daily Beast

Their sin began on Holy Thursday, with so little secrecy and so bad an example, that the affair was beginning to leak out.

From Project Gutenberg

He has evidently some prodigious secret, which he is determined to envelope in still deeper secrecy.

From Project Gutenberg

They are all sworn to the closest secrecy; have been told that our lives depend upon their discretion.

From Project Gutenberg

The mental block remained firm and he succeeded in carrying on actual preparations for his departure in complete secrecy.

From Project Gutenberg

That evening Grace swore her room-mate to eternal secrecy, and then showed her the book.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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