Synonyms of secretly

secretly

adverb

as in privately

in a manner intended to prevent knowledge or awareness by others

the girl secretly told her friends about the birthday party so it would be a surprise to the birthday girl

Synonyms & Similar Words

• privately
• confidentially
• in private
• intimately
• backstage
• in camera
• covertly
• clandestinely
• inwardly
• à deux
• tête-à-tête
• surreptitiously
• furtively
• secretively
• stealthily
• sneakily
• conspiratorially
• collusively
• underhandedly
• sotto voce
• undercover
• underground
• offstage
• offscreen
• underhanded
• underhand

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• publicly
• openly

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of secretly

The accusations only make Winifred, who has secretly been dealing with a rapidly fraying psyche, more paranoid, leading to bloody and dangerous consequences. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 30 July 2026

Some say that this is partly because both miners and coal companies deliberately hid these figures, secretly burying their dead in the mountains, so as not to show weakness to the enemy. — Elijah Tanall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026

When Magic Lotus becomes secretly depressed after another death in the ring at his hands, Tongchai supports his exile into nature from the boxing world. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 29 July 2026

In 2006, he was convicted in Oregon of invasion of privacy after secretly installing a hidden camera in a girls' locker room at a summer camp. — Sergio Candido, CBS News, 29 July 2026

What Danny and Rosie didn't know was their daughters were secretly working to make the trip happen. — Kelsey Monstrola, USA Today, 29 July 2026

The film follows Xiaowei, a young man from Chaoshan who travels secretly to Thailand to find the grandfather who severed contact with the family decades earlier. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 July 2026

The complaint alleges Penske and Boehly secretly engineered the 2022 boycott of the Globes to devalue the organization, then used it as pretext to acquire the awards show and its charitable assets. — Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026

The end of the film, revealed that Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) had been secretly raising her and T’Challa’s son. — Shelby Stivale, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026