secret world
Concealed parallel existence
A secret world is a hidden realm known only to certain people or existing beneath ordinary awareness.
Children imagine secret worlds in wardrobes or beneath floorboards.
Adults speak of secret worlds when describing subcultures, private obsessions, or concealed aspects of life: the secret world of competitive pigeon racing, She had a whole secret world he knew nothing about.
The phrase often carries romantic or mysterious connotations—something richer than mundane reality, accessible only to initiates.
- hiddenKept out of sight
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
- cloak and daggerInvolving secrecy and intrigue
- covertIntentionally concealed
behind closed doors · parallel · double life · shadow · shadow government · mysterious · unseen · forbidden · realm · inner circle · dimension · portal · rabbit hole · veil · smoke and mirrors · concealed · occult · esoteric
- other realmsotherworld, netherworld, shadow realm, dream realm, alternate reality
- childhood themeschildhood trauma, nostalgia, innocence, imagination, play
secret worldpublic sphere
Realm of civic discourse
open world · public life · public domain · open society · plain sight
secret worldcommon knowledge
Widely shared information
public knowledge · open book · public record · known world · mainstream
secret worldpublic life
Existence in societal view
aboveground · establishment · official channels · polite society · civic life
secret, world, secrets, secretly, secrecy, secretive, secretively, secretiveness, secretary