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
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Recent Examples of secretly
Inside each faux drawer are two shelves designed to secretly house shoes.
—
Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Sep. 2025
Less than 24 hours after news broke of Nina Dobrev and Shaun White’s breakup, fans are speculating that The Vampire Diaries star secretly hinted at her ex cheating on her.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 12 Sep. 2025
Harry Potter is not secretly being infused with anything.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2025
The couple then secretly married in May 2024.
—Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
San José needs its leaders to be proactive in demanding accountability and transparency from federal law enforcement agencies that operate secretly in the shadows.
—Devan Patel, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Show me exactly how to reorganize my day to focus on growth drivers first, which of my tasks are secretly time-wasters dressed as important work, and how to say no to everything else.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
All of that lying, manipulation, and judgment leads to the series finale, in which Laura has secretly recorded Cherry’s mother describing her violent past and aims to share the audio with Daniel, until Cherry shows up at their family home.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
The Householders’ estranged daughter, Amanda, posted the video, which was sent to her by a friend of the family who had secretly recorded it on a visit to the Cedar County school.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 10 Sep. 2025
Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Sep. 2025
Less than 24 hours after news broke of Nina Dobrev and Shaun White’s breakup, fans are speculating that The Vampire Diaries star secretly hinted at her ex cheating on her.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 12 Sep. 2025
Harry Potter is not secretly being infused with anything.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2025
The couple then secretly married in May 2024.
—Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
San José needs its leaders to be proactive in demanding accountability and transparency from federal law enforcement agencies that operate secretly in the shadows.
—Devan Patel, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Show me exactly how to reorganize my day to focus on growth drivers first, which of my tasks are secretly time-wasters dressed as important work, and how to say no to everything else.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
All of that lying, manipulation, and judgment leads to the series finale, in which Laura has secretly recorded Cherry’s mother describing her violent past and aims to share the audio with Daniel, until Cherry shows up at their family home.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
The Householders’ estranged daughter, Amanda, posted the video, which was sent to her by a friend of the family who had secretly recorded it on a visit to the Cedar County school.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secretly
Adverb
-
On June 12, The Edge engaged privately with Dine Brands.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Teammates privately questioned Thomson’s handling of the situation.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
So these cases are almost always settled confidentially.—
Stayton Bonner,
Robb Report,
24 Aug. 2025
-
Tips can be made to the Arson Watch Reward Program confidentially and anonymously, fire officials said.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Secretly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secretly. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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