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
Sophie secretly reads her mother’s diary and invites three of her mother’s suitors from the 1970s to her wedding, signing her mother’s name.
—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
The complaint alleges a church volunteer secretly placed a recording device inside the restroom during Summer Jam, the church's three-night program for children entering grades 1 through 5.
—
Eric Henderson,
CBS News,
26 June 2026
Holland confirmed that he and Zendaya secretly got married in a June Esquire UKarticle after months of speculation.
—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 June 2026
But earlier this month, Holland confirmed the news that the pair had secretly tied the knot.
—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
23 June 2026
Ayaka’s swimming instructor was sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of secretly photographing multiple child victims.
—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
Holland recently confirmed that the pair secretly tied the knot.
—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
22 June 2026
What could teams secretly want?
—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
21 June 2026
Aemond, horny always for bloodshed, pushes his luck with Alicent, who has to play the role of supportive mommy while secretly yearning for Rhaenyra to accept her offer and free her from her mad sons.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
18 June 2026
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
The complaint alleges a church volunteer secretly placed a recording device inside the restroom during Summer Jam, the church's three-night program for children entering grades 1 through 5.
—
Eric Henderson,
CBS News,
26 June 2026
Holland confirmed that he and Zendaya secretly got married in a June Esquire UKarticle after months of speculation.
—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 June 2026
But earlier this month, Holland confirmed the news that the pair had secretly tied the knot.
—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
23 June 2026
Ayaka’s swimming instructor was sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of secretly photographing multiple child victims.
—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
Holland recently confirmed that the pair secretly tied the knot.
—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
22 June 2026
What could teams secretly want?
—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
21 June 2026
Aemond, horny always for bloodshed, pushes his luck with Alicent, who has to play the role of supportive mommy while secretly yearning for Rhaenyra to accept her offer and free her from her mad sons.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secretly
Adverb
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Giant Eagle, which is privately held, has 197 supermarkets and 11 standalone pharmacies across northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana.
-
Glazer reminded him of the presumption of innocence and told him not to discuss what happened during his arrest, only to speak privately with his attorney.
Adverb
-
Baidu confidentially filed a listing application for Kunlunxin on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange at the start of the year, though offering details, including size and structure, were undecided then.
-
Anthropic and OpenAI have each confidentially submitted IPO paperwork to the SEC, though neither has set a public offering date.
Cite this Entry
“Secretly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secretly. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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