secretiveness
Tendency toward concealment
Secretiveness is the quality of keeping things hidden or being reluctant to share information.
It suggests habitual concealment rather than occasional discretion: His secretiveness about finances made her suspicious.
The word often carries negative connotations—implying that someone withholds more than necessary or appropriate.
Covert intelligence gathering
- undercoverSecretly engaged in espionage
- surreptitiousDone secretly, avoiding detection
- cloak-and-daggerInvolving secret intrigue
- infiltrationCovert entry into organization
incognito · subterfuge · spy · stealth · clandestine · smuggling · evasion · skulking
Restrained in manner
- reticentDisinclined to speak freely
- tight-lippedUnwilling to divulge
- closemouthedReluctant to speak
- uncommunicativeUnwilling to share thoughts
withdrawn · aloof · standoffish · cagey · wary · cautious · noncommittal · poker-faced
Sensitivity in speech
- prudenceCareful, wise judgment
- restraintControl over impulses
- circumspectionCareful consideration of consequences
- diplomacyNegotiation between nations
delicacy · confidentiality · judiciousness · discreetness · sensitivity · carefulness · propriety · trustworthiness
Something hard to fathom
- crypticObscure in meaning
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- inscrutableImpossible to understand
- veiledConcealed or obscured
obscure · riddle · cipher · enigmatic · ambiguity · mystique · unknowable · unfathomable
Identity-concealing alteration
- masqueradeDeceptive act or costume party
- camouflageConcealment through visual blending
- concealmentAct of hiding something
- veiledConcealed or obscured
cryptic · evasive · deception · duplicity · misleading · obfuscation · smoke-screen · cover-up
espionage
Covert intelligence gathering
- undercoverSecretly engaged in espionage
- surreptitiousDone secretly, avoiding detection
- cloak-and-daggerInvolving secret intrigue
infiltration · incognito · subterfuge · spy · stealth · clandestine · smuggling · evasion · skulking · furtive
reserved
Restrained in manner
- reticentDisinclined to speak freely
- tight-lippedUnwilling to divulge
- closemouthedReluctant to speak
uncommunicative · withdrawn · aloof · standoffish · cagey · wary · cautious · noncommittal · poker-faced · inscrutable
tact
Sensitivity in speech
- prudenceCareful, wise judgment
- restraintControl over impulses
- circumspectionCareful consideration of consequences
diplomacy · delicacy · confidentiality · judiciousness · discreetness · sensitivity · carefulness · propriety · trustworthiness · nondisclosure
enigma
Something hard to fathom
- crypticObscure in meaning
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- inscrutableImpossible to understand
veiled · obscure · riddle · cipher · enigmatic · ambiguity · mystique · unknowable · unfathomable · opaque
disguise
Identity-concealing alteration
- masqueradeDeceptive act or costume party
- camouflageConcealment through visual blending
- concealmentAct of hiding something
veiled · cryptic · evasive · deception · duplicity · misleading · obfuscation · smoke-screen · cover-up · dissembling
solitude
State of being alone
- seclusionVoluntary withdrawal from society
- isolationComplete separation from others
- anonymityUnknown identity state
personal · intimate · retreat · sanctuary · withdrawal · hidden · undisclosed · unseen · reclusive · hermetic
- phrenologycraniology, acquisitiveness, adhesiveness, benevolence, cautiousness
- personality symptomsparanoia, suspiciousness, social isolation, odd beliefs, magical thinking
secretivenessopenness
Quality of being accessible
transparency · candor · frankness · forthrightness · directness
secretivenessopenness
Quality of being accessible
candidness · frankness · bluntness · talkativeness · effusiveness
secretivenessindiscretion
Unwise act or remark
imprudence · oversharing · loose lips · tactlessness · carelessness
secret, secrecy, secretive, secrets, discreet, discretion, secretion, secrete, secreted