hush-hush

adjective

ˈhəsh-ˌhəsh How to pronounce hush-hush (audio)
Definition of hush-hushnext
1
as in confidential
not known or meant to be known by the general populace the reporter suspected there was a hush-hush reason why the company agreed to the deal

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clandestine
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others top-echelon diplomats met in a hush-hush conference in a last-ditch effort to head off an international crisis

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hush-hush Jean’s Beach at the Old Stove Pub The hush-hush purchase of the Old Stove Pub by Max Chodorow had everyone chattering for months. — Nancy Kane, Curbed, 25 June 2026 Residents try to keep this coastal gem hush-hush, but can't seem to keep the idyllic scenery, trendy shops, and great restaurants entirely under wraps. — Kira Turnbull, Travel + Leisure, 6 June 2026 Holden Seidlitz, who was in the crowd, reports on the finale of the singer’s hush-hush mini comeback tour. — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 5 June 2026 Curiously, another salamander, the snakelike siren, is a hush-hush bait in a few locations in the South, especially in Florida. — Byron W. Dalrymple, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hush-hush
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hush-hush
  1. confidential
  2. clandestine
  3. secret
  4. undercover
  5. private
  6. covert
  7. underground
Adjective
  • People who hold more senior positions in the system, or who have access to confidential information, generally have tighter restrictions placed upon them, according to several sources familiar with the matter and open government announcements.
    — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
  • SpaceX has requested to keep the photos of the device, along with the user manual, confidential over the next 180 days.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of confidential
Adjective
  • In reality, the clandestine operation meant that, for a portion of time, the President’s real whereabouts were seemingly unknown to—and concealed from—the White House press pool.
    — Tiago Ventura, Time, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Mexican authorities have dismantled well over a thousand clandestine drug laboratories, seized enormous quantities of narcotics and fentanyl pills, arrested thousands of cartel operatives, and extradited major criminal figures to the United States.
    — Chris Shays, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of clandestine
Adjective
  • Terry drives him home on an exclusive secret road between Beverly Hills and the Valley (the only other people who Terry knows have the gate code are Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty) but pulls over to a scenic viewpoint on the way.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The secret mission was carried out without the knowledge of members of the press traveling with the president and even some White House officials who were still aboard the old traditional Air Force One.
    — Isabella Murray, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of secret
Adjective
  • The victim eventually agreed to pay the $22,450 to an unkown man posing as an undercover law enforcement officer In the parking lot of a Marathon grocery store, according to the sheriff's office.
    — Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Barnes did not disclose the online platforms used for the operation, saying that withholding the information is necessary to protect undercover operations like Operation Cyber Shield in other jurisdictions.
    — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of undercover
Adjective
  • Four months later, my mom began a private battle against death when she was diagnosed with polio.
    — Dr. Marianne Parshley, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Local media said a private dispute may have been the cause but the police chief declined to comment.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of private
Adjective
  • Officials have gone to great lengths to keep presidents safe on covert trips before.
    — Will Weissert, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Here's a timeline of events that led to the president's covert departure.
    — Isabella Murray, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of covert
Adjective
  • These events occur when extremely hot underground water suddenly turns into steam, expands, and blasts apart the surrounding rock.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
  • By the time Irv and Kath met, the Oberbach Corporation was ankle-deep in concrete, middle-manning the cheap Chinese labor the city needed to build its demonic underground highway along the river.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of underground

Browse Nearby Words

hushes (up)
hush-hush
hushing
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Cite this Entry

“Hush-hush.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hush-hush. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of hush-hush for Spanish Speakers

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