secretive

¹

[see-kri-tiv, si-kree-]

adjective

1. having or showing a disposition to secrecy; reticent.

   He seems secretive about his new job.

   Synonyms: close, secret

secretive

²

[si-kree-tiv]

adjective

1. secretory.

secretive

/ ˈsiːkrɪtɪv, sɪˈkriːtɪv /

adjective

1. inclined to secrecy; reticent

2. another word for secretory

Other Word Forms

• secretively adverb
• secretiveness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of secretive¹

1425–75; late Middle English; back formation from secretiveness (itself modeled on French secrétivité ). See secret, -ive

Origin of secretive²

secret(ion) + -ive

Example Sentences

In its foregrounding of the prisoners’ own communications, “The Alabama Solution” is a unique collaboration between outside and inside, an investigation conducted away from a secretive administration’s controlling eyes.

From Los Angeles Times

Dog fighting is as secretive as it is barbaric.

From BBC

Its roots lie in the medieval stonemasons' guilds, and members still meet in "lodges" to carry out secretive initiation rituals and ceremonies based on allegories such as the building of King Solomon's Temple.

From BBC

And when it comes to sleep, many parents today feel as if they have to be secretive if they choose to co-sleep because they’re afraid that the truth will be met with backlash.

From Salon

The exact number, and their order, is by no means certain however: Kim is very secretive about his family, only introducing his wife to the public after they had been married for some time.

From BBC

Related Words

• covert 
• enigmatic 
• reticent 
• taciturn 

When To Use

What does secretive mean?

Secretive is commonly used to describe people or organizations that are prone to secrecy—they avoid revealing information about themselves and try to keep their actions private. The word secretive can also be used to describe such actions.People who are secretive often don’t let other people get to know them very well, often by keeping secrets about their life. They may do this because they have something to hide or because they don’t trust other people.Organizations described as secretive are often those that hide details about their operations. A secretive company may be one that closely guards information about its product development or financial situation.Animals described as secretive are those that tend to stay hidden.Describing things or people as secretive often implies that you are suspicious of them because it seems like they are hiding something.An unrelated and less common meaning of secretive is based not on secret but on the verb secrete. This sense of secretive means involving the process of secretion—the production and release of substances from specialized cells within an organism, such as glands. For example, the pancreas can be described as secretive in this way because it secretes digestive fluid and insulin. Another word for this is secretory.Example: I always ask Sylvie about her weekend plans, but she’s so secretive that she only smiles furtively and walks away.