OFF-THE-RECORD Synonyms: 52 Similar and Opposite Words

off-the-record

adjective

Definition of off-the-record

as in closed-door

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of off-the-record The paper reported that Williamson and Wilkins never met, had one off-the-record phone call, and exchanged emails during the course of Williamson’s reporting. — Staff Author, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026 Ars recently visited True Anomaly’s headquarters for an off-the-record tour, then sat down with Rogers to chat about the vision, risks, and rewards in True Anomaly’s orbit. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 19 Mar. 2026 The 21-page agreement prohibits the gathering or publication of any information that is not authorized by the government, including declassified information and off-the-record conversations, whether obtained on or off Pentagon grounds. — Gary Grumbach, NBC news, 5 Mar. 2026 Only days after announcing the formation of the Rockefeller Commission in January 1975, Ford accidentally shared at an off-the-record lunch with executives and editors from The New York Times that his concern about abuses involved assassinations. — Tim Naftali, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for off-the-record

Recent Examples of Synonyms for off-the-record

Adjective

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates departs after a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on June 10, 2026.

— Dan Mangan, CNBC, 23 June 2026

Definition of closed-door

Adjective

In Disclosure Day, cybersecurity expert Daniel Kellner (O’Connor) steals files confirming alien contact from the Wardex Corporation, an off-the-books non-governmental organization.

— Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
But statistics fail to convey the humanity of yard sales—the caprice, whimsy, and high spirits, as well as the cunning, weirdness, and heartbreak, that charge and thicken the air when two people agree to perform an off-the-books monetary transaction.

— Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026

Definition of off-the-books

Adjective

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

Definition of back-channel

Adjective

Imagine if legal issues, confidential complaints, private stakeholders and so on were mentioned or included.

— Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
The plane had transported the ammunition from France to Germany and was due for onward travel, according to a report from Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR, citing a confidential police report.

— Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of confidential

Adjective

Mexican authorities have dismantled well over a thousand clandestine drug laboratories, seized enormous quantities of narcotics and fentanyl pills, arrested thousands of cartel operatives, and extradited major criminal figures to the United States.

— Chris Shays, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026
Throughout the previous four years, Russia has, for example, sent drones and clandestine operatives to disrupt European defense production facilities, military bases, and transport infrastructure.

— Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2026

Definition of clandestine

Browse Nearby Words

off-the-rack

off-the-record

off-the-shelf

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Style

“Off-the-record.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off-the-record. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of off-the-record

adjective

Example Sentences

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