secrets
Not widely known
Secrets are pieces of information deliberately kept hidden from others.
A secret can be personal I've never told anyone my secret, institutional trade secrets, or shared among a select few an open secret everyone pretends not to know.
To keep a secret is to guard it; to spill or let out a secret is to reveal it.
The phrase in secret means privately or covertly.
Secrets carry weight—they bond those who share them and burden those who keep them alone.
Share private matters
- trustConfidence in another
- bondBinding tie or connection
- heart-to-heartSincere personal discussion
- confidanteTrusted female friend
sharing · whisper · promise · keeper · diary · journal · innermost · personal
Something hard to fathom
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- riddlePuzzling question to solve
- unknownNot yet discovered
- crypticObscure in meaning
arcane · occult · hidden · cipher · code · inscrutable · mystique · ancient
Unconfirmed circulating story
- whisperSpeech without full voice
- murmurSoft, indistinct continuous sound
- hearsayUnverified secondhand information
- grapevineInformal gossip network
buzz · scandal · juicy · spreading · hush-hush · word-of-mouth · tittle-tattle · scuttlebutt
Cultural or social prohibition
- unspeakableBeyond verbal expression
- illicitProhibited by law
- hiddenKept out of sight
- suppressedForcibly held down
buried · skeletons · shame · scandal · cover-up · hush-hush · unmentionable · closeted
Covert intelligence gathering
- spyCovert information gatherer
- undercoverSecretly engaged in espionage
- stealthSecret, undetected movement
- infiltrateEnter secretly to observe
clandestine · cloak-and-dagger · subterfuge · incognito · disguise · camouflage · surreptitious · furtive
Restricted to certain parties
- privilegedHaving special advantages
- sensitiveEasily affected emotionally
- discreetCareful to avoid notice
- encryptedTransformed into cipher
proprietary · restricted · sealed · undisclosed · guarded · exclusive · need-to-know · clearance
Act of revealing information
- unveilingAct of first revealing
- exposureState of being unprotected
- confessionAdmission of wrongdoing
- leakEscape through a breach
whistleblower · unmasking · discovery · uncovering · tell-all · bombshell · scoop · exposé
confide
Share private matters
- trustConfidence in another
- bondBinding tie or connection
- heart-to-heartSincere personal discussion
confidante · sharing · whisper · promise · keeper · diary · journal · innermost · personal · vulnerable
enigma
Something hard to fathom
cryptic · arcane · occult · hidden · cipher · code · inscrutable · mystique · ancient · lost
rumor
Unconfirmed circulating story
- whisperSpeech without full voice
- murmurSoft, indistinct continuous sound
- hearsayUnverified secondhand information
grapevine · buzz · scandal · juicy · spreading · hush-hush · word-of-mouth · tittle-tattle · scuttlebutt · backbiting
taboo
Cultural or social prohibition
- unspeakableBeyond verbal expression
- illicitProhibited by law
- hiddenKept out of sight
suppressed · buried · skeletons · shame · scandal · cover-up · hush-hush · unmentionable · closeted · repressed
espionage
Covert intelligence gathering
- spyCovert information gatherer
- undercoverSecretly engaged in espionage
- stealthSecret, undetected movement
infiltrate · clandestine · cloak-and-dagger · subterfuge · incognito · disguise · camouflage · surreptitious · furtive · operative
private
Restricted to certain parties
- privilegedHaving special advantages
- sensitiveEasily affected emotionally
- discreetCareful to avoid notice
encrypted · proprietary · restricted · sealed · undisclosed · guarded · exclusive · need-to-know · clearance · nondisclosure
disclosure
Act of revealing information
- unveilingAct of first revealing
- exposureState of being unprotected
- confessionAdmission of wrongdoing
leak · whistleblower · unmasking · discovery · uncovering · tell-all · bombshell · scoop · exposé · spill
- espionagespy, spies, double agent, double agents, spying
- family dynamicsfamily dynamics, family roles, family therapy, sibling rivalry, parenting
- secrecyconfidential, classified, hidden, hiding, concealment
- childhood friendshipbest friends, playmates, sharing, birthday parties, sleepovers
- childhood journalsdiary entries, confessions, dreams, wishes, fears
- diary entriesdate, dear diary, thoughts, feelings, mood
secretsrevelations
Surprising facts made known
disclosures · confessions · admissions · exposés · unveilings
secretscommon knowledge
Widely shared information
public knowledge · public information · public record · open secrets · general knowledge
secretsannouncements
Official statements to many
proclamations · broadcasts · declarations · publications · pronouncements
- 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, secretly, secrecy, secretive, secretion, secrete, top-secret, secreted, secretiveness