Synonyms and antonyms of Secret, secretive and in secret in British Thesaurus

secret (adjective)

deliberately not told to other people, or kept hidden from other people

secretive (adjective)

deliberately not telling people things

surreptitious (adjective)

done or made secretly, so that others will not notice

clandestine (adjective)

formal secret and often illegal

in secret ()

without anyone else knowing

mysterious (adjective)

keeping things secret, especially in a way that makes other people want to discover what they are

confidential (adjective)

confidential documents or information must be kept secret

shadowy (adjective)

mysterious and secret, or not understood

classified (adjective)

classified information is officially secret and allowed to be known by only a few people connected with the government or armed forces

secret (adjective)

not known about by many people

back-alley (adjective)

mainly American backstreet

backdoor (adjective)

secret and usually dishonest or illegal

backroom (adjective)

used for describing work that is important but is done in a private or secret way, or the people who do this work

backstairs (adjective)

informal secret and usually dishonest or illegal

backstreet (adjective)

done secretly or illegally by people who are not very skilful

behind closed doors ()

in a place where other people cannot see or know what is happening

behind the scenes ()

secretly rather than publicly

be shrouded in secrecy/mystery ()

to be very secret or mysterious

by/through the back door ()

using secret or dishonest methods to achieve something, and hoping that people do not realize what is happening

cagey (adjective)

informal not saying much about something, because you do not want people to know very much

cloak-and-dagger (adjective)

involving mystery or secrets

closed (adjective)

held in private, with no journalists or members of the public allowed

closed-door (adjective)

held in private, with no journalists or members of the public allowed in

close-mouthed (adjective)

not saying anything about a subject because you want to keep it secret

closet (adjective)

keeping your beliefs or activities secret

confidential (adjective)

showing that what you are going to say must be kept secret

confidentially (adverb)

if you tell someone something confidentially, you tell them in secret, trusting that they will not tell anyone else

conspiratorial (adjective)

relating to a secret plan by a group of people to do something bad or illegal, especially in politics

conspiratorial (adjective)

showing that you share knowledge of a secret with someone

covert (adjective)

secret

front (adjective)

intended to hide an illegal or secret activity

furtive (adjective)

done quickly and secretly to avoid being noticed

furtive (adjective)

behaving in a way that makes people think you do not want to be noticed

guarded (adjective)

not giving much information because you do not want someone to know everything about something

hole-and-corner (adjective)

done in a secret and perhaps dishonest way

hush-hush (adjective)

used for talking about official activities that very few people should know about

in confidence ()

if you tell someone something in confidence, you tell them something secret or private and you trust them not to tell anyone else

inner (adjective)

private, personal, or secret

in private ()

in a place or situation where other people cannot watch or listen

inside (adjective)

only known by people who belong to a particular organization or group

in someone’s heart (of hearts) ()

used for talking about true or secret feelings

intimate (adjective)

relating to very private or personal things

inwardly (adverb)

in a secret or hidden way that is not obvious to other people

mysterious (adjective)

full of secrets

need-to-know (adjective)

used for describing the principle that secret information will only be given to people who need it to do a particular job

non-committal (adjective)

not saying what you think or what you plan to do

on the q.t. ()

without other people knowing or realizing

on the quiet ()

without telling anyone

on the sly ()

done secretly, especially because you know you should not be doing it

on/to one side ()

if you take someone to one side, you talk to them away from other people because you want to say something private to them

private (adjective)

used about places or situations where other people cannot see or hear you

private (adjective)

a private person does not talk to other people about their personal life and their feelings

privately (adverb)

in a place where no other people can see or hear you

privileged (adjective)

legal privileged information is secret and does not have to be discussed in court

the recesses of something ()

the parts of your mind or feelings that you keep hidden from other people

secret (adjective)

used for describing someone who does something in secret

secret (adjective)

informal deliberately not telling people things

secretly (adverb)

in a way that involves doing something without telling other people

secretly (adverb)

if you feel something secretly, you feel a particular way but do not admit it

sensitive (adjective)

needing to be kept secret

shady (adjective)

secret and probably dishonest or illegal

sneaky (adjective)

doing or saying things secretly, often in a dishonest or unfair way. This word shows that you dislike people and behaviour like this

stealthy (adjective)

quiet and secret so that no one sees or hears you

surreptitiously (adverb)

in a secret way, so that others will not notice

tight-lipped (adjective)

mainly journalism refusing to comment on something, especially to journalists

top secret (adjective)

containing or involving very important and secret information, especially information that might affect a government

undercover (adjective)

working or done secretly in order to catch criminals, get secret information etc

underground (adverb)

in or to a secret place away from the police or other authorities

underground (adjective)

secret and usually illegal

underhand (adjective)

British secret and dishonest

under the counter ()

bought or sold secretly and illegally

under-the-counter (adjective)

bought or sold secretly or illegally

unidentified (adjective)

deliberately not named

veiled in secrecy/mystery ()

not known about by many people