secrecy

noun

se·​cre·​cy ˈsē-krə-sē 

plural secrecies

1

: the condition of being hidden or concealed

2

: the habit or practice of keeping secrets or maintaining privacy or concealment

Synonyms of secrecy

• secretiveness

Examples of secrecy in a Sentence

this administration's steadfast adherence to secrecy is beginning to cost it the trust of the voters

Recent Examples on the Web

The rapid rise of China’s biotech industry has led some American drug developers to do their work in near total secrecy, the Wall Street Journal observes. — Damian Garde, STAT, 10 July 2026

Osuna said that, more than two weeks after the earthquakes, SEBIN officials justified the secrecy by revealing that 33 of the agency’s officers had been trapped in the collapse, prompting the agency to take full control of the rescue operation. — Sonia Osorio, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026

For decades after, the Bolsheviks’ secrecy around the massacre fueled rumors that some of the Romanovs had survived, most famously Anastasia. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 July 2026

The Florida Constitution cloaks everything about executive clemency in unhealthy secrecy. — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier secretie, from Middle English secretee, from secret secret

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing secrecy

• anti-secrecy
• swear (someone) to secrecy
• swear to secrecy

Kids Definition

secrecy

noun

se·​cre·​cy ˈsē-krə-sē 

plural secrecies

1

: the habit of keeping secrets : secretiveness

2

: the quality or state of being hidden or concealed