secret
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- concealed, close, disguised, furtive, hidden, undercover, underground, undisclosed, unknown, unrevealed
- stealthy, secretive, sly, underhand
- mysterious, abstruse, arcane, clandestine, cryptic, occult
[noun]
Synonyms:
- mystery, code, enigma, key
- in secret: secretly, slyly, surreptitiously

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Antonyms: open, public
Contrasted words: acknowledged, avowed, declared, revealed, aboveboard, straightforward, unconcealed, declassified, unclassified, unrestricted, clear, evident, manifest, obvious, patent, plain
Related Words: underhand, underhanded, unacknowledged, unavowed, undeclared, concealed, hidden, screened, classified, confidential, eyes only, restricted, top secret

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English Thesaurus: private, personal, secret, intimate, innermost, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. se‧cret¹ S3 W2 /ˈsiːkrət, ˈsiːkrɪt/ adjective
[Word Family: noun: secrecy, secret, secretiveness; adverb: secretly, secretively; adjective: secret, secretive; verb: secrete]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin secretus, past participle of secernere 'to separate']

1. known about by only a few people and kept hidden from others ⇒ secrecy:
They kept their relationship secret from their parents.
agents on a secret mission
secret talks with the terrorists
secret compartment/passage etc
The drugs were found in a secret compartment in Campbell’s suitcase.
secret ingredient/recipe/formula
The cookies are made to a secret recipe.

2. [only before noun] secret feelings, worries, or actions are ones that you do not want other people to know about:
His secret fear was that Jenny would leave him.
Did you know you had a secret admirer (=someone who is secretly in love with you)?

3. secret weapon something that will help you gain a big advantage over your competitors, that they do not know about

4. used to describe the behaviour of someone who is keeping their thoughts, intentions, or actions hidden from other people Synonym : secretive
secret about
They’re being very secret about it.
There was a secret smile on her face.
—secretly adverb:
They were secretly married.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. secret² S3 W3 noun [countable]
[Word Family: noun: secrecy, secret, secretiveness; adverb: secretly, secretively; adjective: secret, secretive; verb: secrete]

1. something that is kept hidden or that is known about by only a few people ⇒ secrecy:
I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.
It was no secret that the two men hated each other.
Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me (=I won’t tell anyone about it).

2. in secret in a private way or place that other people do not know about:
The negotiations were conducted in secret.

3. the secret a particular way of achieving a good result, that is the best or only way
the secret to (doing) something
The secret to making good pastry is to use very cold water.
Your hair always looks so great – what’s your secret?
What do you think is the secret of her success?

4. make no secret of something to make your opinions about something clear:
Louise made no secret of her dislike for John.

5. the secrets of life/nature/the universe etc the things no one yet knows about life, nature etc

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

secret
adj.
VERBS be | remain, stay | keep sth
ADV. highly, top, very a top secret meeting
absolutely, entirely | more or less | formerly, hitherto, previously revealing the text of the hitherto secret treaty
PREP. from They managed to keep the party more or less secret from Christine.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

secret
noun
I. sth that must not be known by others
ADJ. big, great | little | closely guarded, well-kept a charming museum that is one of the city's best-kept secrets (= that not many people know about) | hidden, inner, innermost, intimate That evening she had revealed many of her innermost secrets.
open Their affair is an open secret.
dark, guilty, shameful, terrible | commercial, family, military, official, state, trade
VERB + SECRET have | guard, keep Can you keep a secret?
betray, divulge, let sb in on/into, reveal, tell sb She let us into her secret?she'd got engaged.
find out, uncover
SECRET + VERB be/get out How did the secret get out?
PREP. in ~ The film stars were married in secret to avoid publicity.
~ about There was some secret about the source of his wealth.
~ from I have no secrets from you.
PHRASES make no secret of the fact that … , make a secret of sth He refuses to make any secret of his political allegiances.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

secret
II. only/best way of doing/achieving sth
VERB + SECRET reveal, tell sb
PREP. ~ behind She revealed the secret behind her extraordinary success.
~ of the secrets of staying healthy
PHRASES the secret of (sb's) success

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

private if something is private, you do not want most people to know about it because it concerns your feelings, your relationships etc:
He didn’t want to discuss his private life.
What happens in the bedroom is strictly private.
personal relating to your private life – used especially about problems, feelings, and questions:
They asked a lot of personal questions.
She talked about her own personal feelings.
I’d rather not talk about it – it’s personal.
The singer has had a lot of problems in her personal life.
secret [only before noun] used about feelings and thoughts that you do not tell anyone about:
Barclay had a secret desire to become an actor.
His secret fear was that Jenny would leave him.
intimate very private – used about things relating to your relationships and sexual feelings:
an intimate conversation
Many people share intimate details of their lives on the Internet.
their intimate moments together
innermost [only before noun] your innermost feelings, thoughts etc are your most private ones:
Counselling often encourages you to reveal your innermost thoughts.
be none of sb’s business if something is none of your business, it is private and you should not ask about it:
It’s none of your business how much I earn.
‘Are you married?’ ‘That’s none of your business.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

secret known about by only a few people, who have agreed not to tell anyone else:
a secret meeting place
The details of the proposal must remain secret.
confidential used about information, especially in business or government, that is secret and not intended to be shown or told to other people:
a highly confidential report
Employees’ personal details are treated as strictly confidential.
classified used about information that the government has ordered to be kept secret from most people:
He was accused of passing on classified information to the Russians in the 1950s.
sensitive used about information that is kept secret because there would be problems if the wrong people knew it:
A teenager managed to hack into sensitive US Air Force files.
covert [only before noun] used about things that are done secretly, especially by a government or official organization:
a CIA covert operation
undercover [usually before noun] used about things that are done secretly by the police in order to catch criminals or find out information:
Detectives arrested the suspect after a five-day undercover operation.
underground an underground organization or newspaper is one that operates or is produced secretly and opposes the government:
Her father was a member of the underground resistance movement in France during World War II.
clandestine /klænˈdestən, klænˈdestɪn/ secret and often illegal or immoral:
clandestine meetings
his involvement in a clandestine operation to sell arms to Iran
a clandestine love affair
hush-hush informal used about information or activities that are kept officially secret:
He was put in charge of some hush-hush military project.
I’ve no idea what he does – it’s all very hush-hush.
have a secret
We have no secrets from each other.
know a secret (=about someone else)
You can tell Tom that I know his secret.
keep a secret (=not tell it to anyone)
Can you keep a secret?
tell somebody a secret
Shall I tell you a secret?
let somebody in on a secret (=tell them a secret)
Frank let me in on the secret.
reveal/divulge a secret formal (=tell it to someone)
He was accused of revealing state secrets.
give away a secret (=tell it to someone carelessly or by mistake)
I had to be careful not to give away any secrets.
share a secret (=tell it to someone because you trust them)
I trusted Alexander, so I decided to share my secret with him.
discover/find out a secret
He was afraid that someone would discover his secret.
a big secret (=an important secret or one that very few people know)
The event was supposed to be a big secret, but everyone knew about it.
a little secret (=a personal secret that very few people know)
You must promise me that this will be our little secret.
a closely guarded/well-kept secret (=a secret that few people are allowed to know)
The recipe is a closely guarded secret.
an open secret (=something that a lot of people know, but do not talk about because it is supposed to be a secret)
It was an open secret that he was having an affair.
a dark/terrible secret (=a secret about something bad)
I’m sure every family has a few dark secrets.
a dirty secret (=a shameful secret)
The exclusion of black people from the film industry is one of Hollywood’s dirty little secrets.
a guilty secret (=a secret that someone feels guilty about)
He had finally discovered Jo’s guilty secret.
sb’s innermost secrets (=very private or personal secrets)
She wasn’t confident enough to share her innermost secrets with him.
a family secret
Their normally strong relationship is threatened when he has to reveal a family secret.
a state/official secret (=a government secret)
He was accused of passing on state secrets to a foreign power.
a trade secret (=a company or business secret)
They must not betray their employer 's trust, for instance by giving away trade secrets.
military secrets
He was sent to prison for five years in 1933 for selling military secrets to Germany.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

secret
ˈsi:krɪt
See: in secret , open secret

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲