| Noun | 1. | secret - something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on); "the combination to the safe was a secret"; "he tried to keep his drinking a secret"confidence - a secret that is confided or entrusted to another; "everyone trusted him with their confidences"; "the priest could not reveal her confidences" open secret - something that is supposed to be secret but is generally known; "their love affair was an open secret" trade secret - a secret (method or device or formula) that gives a manufacturer an advantage over the competition | |
| 2. | secret - information known only to a special group; "the secret of Cajun cooking"esoterica - secrets known only to an initiated minority | |
| 3. | secret - something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained; "how it got out is a mystery"; "it remains one of nature's secrets"perplexity - trouble or confusion resulting from complexity | |
| Adj. | 1. | secret - not open or public; kept private or not revealed; "a secret formula"; "secret ingredients"; "secret talks"concealed - concealed or hidden on any grounds for any motive; "a concealed weapon"; "a concealed compartment in his briefcase" | |
| 2. | secret - conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods; "clandestine intelligence operations"; "cloak-and-dagger activities behind enemy lines"; "hole-and-corner intrigue"; "secret missions"; "a secret agent"; "secret sales of arms"; "surreptitious mobilization of troops"; "an undercover investigation"; "underground resistance"covert - secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed; "covert actions by the CIA"; "covert funding for the rebels" | |
| 3. | secret - not openly made known; "a secret marriage"; "a secret bride" | |
| 4. | secret - communicated covertly; "their a secret signal was a wink"; "secret messages"covert - secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed; "covert actions by the CIA"; "covert funding for the rebels" | |
| 5. | secret - not expressed; "secret (or private) thoughts"inward - relating to or existing in the mind or thoughts; "a concern with inward reflections" | |
| 6. | secret - designed to elude detection; "a hidden room or place of concealment such as a priest hole"; "a secret passage"; "the secret compartment in the desk"concealed - concealed or hidden on any grounds for any motive; "a concealed weapon"; "a concealed compartment in his briefcase" | |
| 7. | secret - hidden from general view or use; "a privy place to rest and think"; "a secluded romantic spot"; "a secret garden"private - confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy; "a private place"; "private discussions"; "private lessons"; "a private club"; "a private secretary"; "private property"; "the former President is now a private citizen"; "public figures struggle to maintain a private life" | |
| 8. | secret - (of information) given in confidence or in secret; "closet information"; "this arrangement must be kept confidential"; "their secret communications"private - confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy; "a private place"; "private discussions"; "private lessons"; "a private club"; "a private secretary"; "private property"; "the former President is now a private citizen"; "public figures struggle to maintain a private life" | |
| 9. | secret - indulging only covertly; "a closet alcoholic"; "closet liberals"covert - secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed; "covert actions by the CIA"; "covert funding for the rebels" | |
| 10. | secret - having an import not apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence; beyond ordinary understanding; "mysterious symbols"; "the mystical style of Blake"; "occult lore"; "the secret learning of the ancients"esoteric - confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle; "a compilation of esoteric philosophical theories" | |
| 11. | secret - the next to highest level of official classification for documentsclassified - official classification of information or documents; withheld from general circulation; "thousands of classified documents have now been declassified" | |