Synonyms of back-channel

back-channel

adjective

as in off-the-record

Related Words

• off-the-record
• closed-door
• off-the-books
• clandestine
• surreptitious
• covert
• stealth
• behind-the-scenes
• private
• underground
• confidential
• furtive
• underhanded
• underhand
• undercover
• sneak
• secret
• sneaky
• hole-and-corner
• backstairs
• privy
• stealthy
• undisclosed
• hush-hush
• top secret
• classified
• restricted
• hugger-mugger
• hidden
• subterranean
• sneaking
• unadvertised
• secreted
• concealed
• unexposed

Dissimilar Words

• public
• overt
• open
• avowed
• acknowledged
• straightforward
• unclassified
• obvious
• clear
• unrestricted
• evident
• undisguised
• plain
• manifest
• aboveboard
• unconcealed
• patent

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of back-channel

In Japan, moderates had begun back-channel discussions with the Soviet Union (with whom Japan was not at war) in an effort to end the fighting and preserve the Japanese monarchy. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2026

In July 1971, Henry Kissinger, then national security adviser to President Richard Nixon, arrived in Beijing on his famous secret mission — the back-channel visit that helped re-open the door between two countries that had little direct contact for more than two decades. — Xianda Huang, The Conversation, 16 May 2026

The messiness of a 13-year scientific undertaking, the back-channel negotiations, the philosophical disagreements, the institutional maneuvering — none of that fits neatly into an obituary. — Zachary Utz, STAT, 15 May 2026

The indictment alleges that after the NIH terminated a bat coronavirus grant to EcoHealth Alliance, Morens and co-conspirators pledged to help restore the grant and used back-channel communications to influence NIH funding decisions while deliberately avoiding transparency requirements. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026

At the center of the potential outreach is Vice President JD Vance, who is being considered for a return trip to Islamabad, where back-channel negotiations have quietly taken place. — Sara Cook, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026

Epstein, the records show, tried to initiate a back-channel meeting between the Saudi crown prince and Qatar’s ex-prime minister. — Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026

Elyssa Slotkin, Jeanne Shaheen, and Tim Kaine to back-channel conversations have been poo-poo’d by party leadership as unhelpful. — Philip Elliott, Time, 18 Mar. 2026

Both the president’s team and the rule-of-law defenders launched back-channel negotiations with the capitalists. — Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026