secretly
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se·cret
(sē′krĭt)adj.
1.
a. Kept hidden from knowledge or view; concealed: a secret identity; a secret passageway.
b. Not expressed; inward: secret desires.
2.
a. Given to keeping one's thoughts and activities unknown to others; secretive: "Scrooge ... was secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster" (Charles Dickens).
b. Not revealing a secret or not given to revealing secrets: "She boasted ... that he did tell her. But he didn't. He was secret as the grave" (Ruth Prawer Jhabvala).
3.
a. Operating in a hidden or confidential manner: a secret commission; a secret agent.
b. Containing information, the unauthorized disclosure of which poses a grave threat to national security.
4. Not much visited; secluded: a secret hiding place.
5.
a. Known or shared only by the initiated: secret rites.
b. Beyond ordinary understanding; mysterious: "like Pan, calling out with his flute to come join in on the secret chaos of the world" (Rick Bass).
n.
Idiom: 1. Something that is kept out of the knowledge or sight of others or is known only to oneself or a few: wanted to have no secrets between them.
2. Something that remains beyond understanding or explanation; a mystery: unlocking the secrets of the atom.
3. A method or formula for doing or making something well, especially when not widely known: The secret of this dish is in the sauce.
4. Secret A variable prayer said after the Offertory and before the Preface in the Mass.
in secret
Without others knowing.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sēcrētus, from past participle of sēcernere, to set aside : sē-, apart; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots + cernere, to separate; see krei- in Indo-European roots.]
se′cret·ly adv.
Synonyms: secret, stealthy, covert, clandestine, furtive, surreptitious, underhanded
These adjectives mean deliberately hidden from view or knowledge. Secret is the most general: The desk has a secret compartment. The spies conduct secret negotiations.
Stealthy suggests quiet, cautious deceptiveness intended to escape notice: "The males of each community formed temporary parties that regularly patrolled their borders and sometimes made stealthy incursions into the territory of their neighbors" (Jane Goodall).
Covert describes something that is concealed or disguised: Students protested the covert actions undertaken by the CIA.
Clandestine implies stealth and secrecy for the concealment of an often illegal or improper purpose: "The gold was becoming so routine that he'd stopped being clandestine about it" (Jennifer Egan).
Furtive suggests the slyness, shiftiness, and evasiveness of a thief: I took a furtive glance at the papers on the desk.
Something surreptitious is stealthy, furtive, and often unseemly or unethical: "She takes surreptitious sips from a flask in her bag as she waits in the cold" (Mary V. Dearborn).
Underhand implies unfairness, deceit, or slyness as well as secrecy: The politician achieved success by underhand methods.
These adjectives mean deliberately hidden from view or knowledge. Secret is the most general: The desk has a secret compartment. The spies conduct secret negotiations.
Stealthy suggests quiet, cautious deceptiveness intended to escape notice: "The males of each community formed temporary parties that regularly patrolled their borders and sometimes made stealthy incursions into the territory of their neighbors" (Jane Goodall).
Covert describes something that is concealed or disguised: Students protested the covert actions undertaken by the CIA.
Clandestine implies stealth and secrecy for the concealment of an often illegal or improper purpose: "The gold was becoming so routine that he'd stopped being clandestine about it" (Jennifer Egan).
Furtive suggests the slyness, shiftiness, and evasiveness of a thief: I took a furtive glance at the papers on the desk.
Something surreptitious is stealthy, furtive, and often unseemly or unethical: "She takes surreptitious sips from a flask in her bag as she waits in the cold" (Mary V. Dearborn).
Underhand implies unfairness, deceit, or slyness as well as secrecy: The politician achieved success by underhand methods.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Adv. | 1. | secretly - in secrecy; not openly; "met secretly to discuss the invasion plans"; "the children secretly went to the movies when they were supposed to be at the library"; "they arranged to meet in secret" |
| 2. | secretly - not openly; inwardly; "they were secretly delighted at his embarrassment"; "hoped secretly she would change her mind" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
secretly
adverb
1. in secret, privately, surreptitiously, quietly, covertly, behind closed doors, in confidence, in your heart, furtively, in camera, confidentially, on the fly (slang, chiefly Brit.), stealthily, under the counter, clandestinely, unobserved, on the sly, in your heart of hearts, behind (someone's) back, in your innermost thoughts, on the q.t. (informal) secretly organized events
2. privately, in your heart of hearts, in your innermost thoughts I've often secretly wondered if I'd be happier without all this.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
secretly
adverbIn a secret way:
Idioms: by stealth, on the sly, under cover.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
potajítajně
hemmeligt
salaa
tajno
leynilega, í leyni
秘密に
비밀히
skrivaj
i hemlighet
อย่างลับๆ
kín đáo
secretly
[ˈsiːkrɪtlɪ] ADV [meet, plan, film] → en secreto, a escondidas; [marry] → en secreto; [hope, want] → en el fondoshe was secretly relieved/pleased → en su fuero interno sintió alivio/estaba contenta
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
secretly
[ˈsiːkrɪtli] adv → en secret, secrètementsecret police n → police f secrètesecret service nCollins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
secretly
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
secret
(ˈsiːkrit) adjective hidden from, unknown to, or not told to, other people. a secret agreement; He kept his illness secret from everybody.
noun1. something which is, or must be kept, secret. The date of their marriage is a secret; industrial secrets.
2. a hidden explanation. I wish I knew the secret of her success.
ˈsecrecy noun the state of being or the act of keeping secret.
ˈsecretive (-tiv) adjective inclined to conceal one's activities, thoughts etc. secretive behaviour.
ˈsecretively adverbˈsecretiveness noun
ˈsecretly adverb
in such a way that others do not know, see etc. He secretly copied the numbers down in his notebook.
secret agent a spy.
secret police a police force whose activities are kept secret and which is concerned mostly with political crimes.
in secret secretly. This must all be done in secret.
keep a secret not to tell (something secret) to anyone else. You can't trust her to keep a secret.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
secretly
→ سِرّاً tajně hemmeligt heimlich κρυφά en secreto salaa secrètement tajno segretamente 秘密に 비밀히 in het geheim hemmelig potajemnie secretamente тайно i hemlighet อย่างลับๆ gizlice kín đáo 秘密地Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009