Synonyms

secretly

American

[see-krit-lee] / ˈsi krɪt li /

adverb

in a way that is kept from the knowledge of others or is designed to escape their notice.

He later discovered that the couple had secretly married in a discreet ceremony six months ago.
Many of the wood and stone looks you see in homes every day are secretly vinyl flooring.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of secretly

secret ( def. ) + -ly

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.

Appeared in the March 7, 2026, print edition as 'Russia Secretly Shares Locations of U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Even the country stage featured Orville Peck, a gay country artist, who was joined by Willie Nelson for a rendition of "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other."

From Salon • Oct. 16, 2024

Secretly, the newspaper group paid him a financial settlement for quitting and agreed to confidentiality, according to three colleagues and an editor with whom Mr. Cohen spoke.

From New York Times • May 30, 2023

Secretly, he started to loathe it when people came up to him and offered platitudes about the need for healing.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2023

Secretly I think he preferred a world without Voldemort.

From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023