secretly

American  

[see-krit-lee] / ˈsi krɪt li /

adverb

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• nonsecretly
  adverb
• quasi-secretly
  adverb
• semisecretly
  adverb
• ultrasecretly
  adverb
• unsecretly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of secretly

secret ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

secretly

There were small acts of resistance, as when the best wines in the cellar were secretly walled off from the Germans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

We would all secretly hope that they would get added to the show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Two members of US President Donald Trump's cabinet were on a decoy plane that Trump secretly exited before boarding a different flight in Turkey last month, CBS News reports.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

A surreptitious airport catering truck secretly shuttled Trump to a waiting military plane, which flew him out instead.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

It was as if he were a changeling, a troubled child not so secretly adopted by the Icelanders, but with love and without foreboding.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• clandestinely
• covertly
• furtively
• personally
• privately
• quietly
• stealthily
• surreptitiously