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 secluded, sheltered, or withdrawn.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

County has paid out tens of millions of dollars in legal settlements stemming from cases involving deputies accused of belonging to secret societies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

“But to me, the secret to offense has always been up front: being able to run the football and protect the quarterback. And Jason always has understood that and been good at it.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

From Wednesday, the names and personal data of around 60,000 people recruited by the communist-era secret services have become available on the nyitottaktak.hu website, external.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

"We needed rain in July or August," he said of the spots where he usually hunts -- the precise location of which he keeps a closely guarded secret even from his wife.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

I leaned back against the mural, becoming part of the scene, waiting for my secret fries with a smile on my face for no reason.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

“Our regional cloud customers receive ordinary business information — not sensitive Nvidia trade secrets — and zero information relevant to national security,” the spokesperson said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026

He said customers like Megaspeed "receive ordinary business information - not sensitive Nvidia trade secrets - and zero information relevant to national security."

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Who knows what other secrets these waters hold.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026

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

“Held the secrets of the universe, saved a man’s life … and it’s holding up my house today.”

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

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Related Words

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• unpublished

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