What does "secret" mean?
A piece of knowledge that is hidden and intended to be kept hidden.
Secret
/ˈsiː.kɹɪt/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A piece of knowledge that is hidden and intended to be kept hidden.
- Grammar: secret is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: mystery, a secret, abstract, abstruse.
- Useful contrasts: overt, avowed, disclosed fact.
- Usage evidence: There's a secret path on the left.
How to use "secret"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "secret" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "secret" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "secret" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "secret" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "secret" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "mystery" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "secret", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A piece of knowledge that is hidden and intended to be kept hidden. countable
""Can you keep a secret?" "Yes." "So can I.""
- 2 something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained wordnet
- 3 The key or principle by which something is made clear; the knack. countable, uncountable
"The secret to a long-lasting marriage is compromise."
- 4 information known only to a special group wordnet
- 5 Something not understood or known. countable, uncountable
"Thou knewſt by name, and all th' ethereal powers, / All ſecrets of the deep, all Natures works,"
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on) wordnet
- 7 Private seclusion. uncountable
"The work was done in secret, so that nobody could object."
- 8 The genital organs. archaic, countable, in-plural, uncountable
- 9 A form of steel skullcap. countable, historical, uncountable
- 10 Any prayer spoken inaudibly and not aloud; especially, one of the prayers in the Tridentine Mass, immediately following the "orate, fratres", said inaudibly by the celebrant. countable, in-plural, often, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To make or keep secret. rare, transitive
"… she would unfold the silk, press it with a smooth wooden block that she'd heated in the oven, and then once more secret it away."
- 2 To hide secretly. rare, transitive
Adjective
- 1 Being or kept hidden.
"We went down a secret passage."
- 2 Withdrawn from general intercourse or notice; in retirement or secrecy; secluded. obsolete
"Sing Heav'nly Muſe, that on the secret top / Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didſt inſpire / That Shepherd, who firſt taught the choſen Seed, / In the Beginning how the Heav'ns and Earth / Roſe out of Chaos: [...]"
- 3 Faithful to a secret; not inclined to divulge or betray confidence; secretive, separate, apart. obsolete
"What neede we any ſpurre, but our owne cauſe / To pricke vs to redreſſe? What other Bond / Than ſecret Romans, that haue ſpoke the Word, / And will not palter?"
- 4 Separate; distinct. obsolete
"They suppose two other divine hypostases superior thereunto, which were perfectly secret from matter."
Adjective
- 1 not openly made known wordnet
- 2 the next to highest level of official classification for documents wordnet
- 3 having an import not apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence; beyond ordinary understanding wordnet
- 4 not expressed wordnet
- 5 conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 indulging only covertly wordnet
- 7 communicated covertly wordnet
- 8 (of information) given in confidence or in secret wordnet
- 9 hidden from general view or use wordnet
- 10 designed to elude detection wordnet
- 11 not open or public; kept private or not revealed wordnet
Example
"There's a secret path on the left."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "secret"?
Common synonyms include: mystery, a secret, abstract, abstruse, arcane, arcanum.
How do you use "secret" in a sentence?
There's a secret path on the left.
How do you pronounce "secret"?
Pronounced /ˈsiː.kɹɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The noun is from Middle English secret, from Latin sēcrētum. Doublet of secretum. Displaced Old English dēagolnes (“a secret”). The verb is from the noun.
Etymology 2
From Middle English secrette, from Old French secret, from Latin sēcrētus (“separated, hidden”), from ptp of sēcernō (“separate, to set aside, sunder out”), from cernō, from Proto-Indo-European *krey-. Displaced Old English dēagol (“secret”).