SECRETIVELY Synonyms: 27 Similar and Opposite Words

secretively

adverb

Definition of secretively

as in furtively

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of secretively The state, in partnership with the federal government, built the camp quickly and secretively and opened it in July. — Eve Samples, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026 Early modern Europe was not an ideal place to enforce intellectual property rights, which in those days existed only when technologies could be secretively monopolized by a guild. — Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for secretively

Adverb

Jordan may wish to exact revenge, and Eddy may want to find one of the victims who has vanished, but both have to go about their work furtively.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Kikuko, her appetite sluggish, nibbled the bread bit by bit from the edges, all the while furtively watching her father.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of furtively

Adverb

Wolf’s Shinobi Prosthetic houses a grappling hook for scaling rooftops, leaping between trees, and approaching enemies stealthily.

— Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
From there, the group could stealthily disperse the new strain through air-handling systems at major livestock farms across the United States.

— Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of stealthily

Adverb

These malicious apps can be surreptitiously installed by remote attackers even when the devices are positioned behind a router.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
For every song ingested into these LLMs, ALL of the creative elements that went into the track have been surreptitiously appropriated.

— David Barber, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of surreptitiously

Adverb

Franklin was even humping someone, while Bodhi was covertly trying to eat his own poop.

— Mimi Montgomery, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Yet despite fewer transits, increasing volumes of oil are bypassing the strait altogether or relying on US protection and ship-to-ship transfers to move oil covertly out of the Persian Gulf.

— Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of covertly

Adverb

After Enes' appearance on Sunday, the league sneakily drew a line in the sand, telling media outlets like Front Office Sports that Kanter Freedom will not be eligible to get drafted into the WNBA.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
One of the easiest ways to get organized and maximize your patio is, ironically, to add more patio furniture—especially pieces that sneakily double as hidden storage.

— Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of sneakily

Adverb

Because Iran is a theocratic dictatorship that routinely arrests and in some cases executes journalists, Western reporters hoping to cover the country must either work clandestinely or submit to government supervision.

— James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
Soon afterward, social media commenters were speculating about whether Sierra broke into the office or was caught clandestinely shredding documents.

— Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 10 July 2026

Definition of clandestinely

Adverb

The design is particularly important for a project where the machines will eventually have to be dismantled deep underground after completing their work.

— Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026
While some of these latrines connected to pipes that moved waste underground, very few drained into Ancient Rome’s sewer system.

— Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of underground

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“Secretively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secretively. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of secretively

adverb

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