secretly
Without others knowing
Secretly means in a way that is hidden from others or kept from public knowledge.
To do something secretly is to conceal the action or its nature: She secretly hoped he would fail, They met secretly for months.
The word implies intentional concealment—whether from everyone or just certain people: He was secretly relieved when the meeting was canceled.
Secretly engaged in espionage
- incognitoWith identity concealed
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
- sub rosaDone in secret
- behind closed doorsIn private, unobserved
off the record · confidential · classified · hush-hush · private · undisclosed · unrevealed · backstairs
Made invisible deliberately
- veiledConcealed or obscured
- maskedHaving face covered
- cloakedConcealed or covered
- shroudedCovered and hidden
camouflaged · obscured · buried · tucked away · out of sight · unseen · undetected · unnoticed
Within one's mind
- privatelyOut of public view
- personallyAs an individual matter
- silentlyWithout audible noise
- quietlyWithout making noise
deep down · to oneself · unspoken · unuttered · unexpressed · wordlessly · tacitly · mentally
Move with stealth
- tiptoeWalk on foot-fronts
- creepStealthy, slow movement
- slipMinor error or misstep
- skulkMove with secretive intent
prowl · lurk · slink · sidle · ghost · shadow · steal away · smuggle
Secretive and sly
- slyCleverly deceptive
- sneakyStealthily deceptive
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
- schemingCrafty and calculating
duplicitous · two-faced · underhanded · devious · conniving · plotting · conspiring · double-dealing
undercover
Secretly engaged in espionage
- incognitoWith identity concealed
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
- sub rosaDone in secret
behind closed doors · off the record · confidential · classified · hush-hush · private · undisclosed · unrevealed · backstairs · hole-and-corner
concealed
Made invisible deliberately
shrouded · camouflaged · obscured · buried · tucked away · out of sight · unseen · undetected · unnoticed · unobserved
inwardly
Within one's mind
- privatelyOut of public view
- personallyAs an individual matter
- silentlyWithout audible noise
quietly · deep down · to oneself · unspoken · unuttered · unexpressed · wordlessly · tacitly · mentally
sneak
Move with stealth
skulk · prowl · lurk · slink · sidle · ghost · shadow · steal away · smuggle · spirit away
furtive
Secretive and sly
scheming · duplicitous · two-faced · underhanded · devious · conniving · plotting · conspiring · double-dealing · treacherous
- shady adverbsdishonestly, deceitfully, deceptively, fraudulently, sneakily
- secrecyconfidential, classified, hidden, hiding, concealment
- visibilityvisibility, visible, invisible, hidden, hide
secretlyopenly
Without hiding anything
publicly · overtly · in plain sight · visibly · in the open
secretlyexplicitly
Stated in clear terms
blatantly · freely · boldly · brazenly · unashamedly
- top secretHighest classification level
- secret agentClandestine government operative
- secret codeEncrypted communication system
- dark secretConcealed shameful knowledge
- dirty secretConcealed shameful information
- open secretKnown fact nobody admits
secret, secretive, secrets, secretion, secrete, secreted, secretiveness, secretively, secreting