secretively

adverb

Definition of secretivelynext
as in furtively

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Example Sentences

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
  1. furtively
  2. stealthily
  3. surreptitiously
  4. covertly
  5. sneakily
  6. clandestinely
  7. underground
Adverb
  • 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
  • It’s meant to blends furtively into a bookshelf or sits elegantly atop a bedside table, never inside it.
    — Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of furtively
Adverb
  • The pollution is expected to drift into the Bay Area, stealthily diminishing air quality without the signature campfire smell associated with wildfire smoke, according to Anthony Edwards, the San Francisco Chronicle’s newsroom meteorologist.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The films are set in modern times, but the character is stealthily nostalgic.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026
Definition of stealthily
Adverb
  • That's not the first time a president surreptitiously switched planes.
    — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Two senior health-ministry officials, speaking anonymously, told the magazine that at least 30,000 dead (and possibly many more) was a likelier figure, and one that was corroborated by a group of first responders who collected data surreptitiously.
    — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
Definition of surreptitiously
Adverb
  • Also quite useful while breaking down cardboard boxes and covertly tossing kid art projects.
    — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Israel had captured these portable systems in the October 1973 war with Egypt and Syria and covertly transferred them to the Kurds in return for equivalent American systems.
    — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of covertly
Adverb
  • Flitting between deadpan sorrow and impassioned romance, Bridgers’ album is alternately spooky, hilarious, mysterious and sneakily moving.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Thorbjornsen's name has been penciled in, although he's been sneakily fantastic in his short PGA Tour career.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 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 standoff lasted months and more than 80 miners died underground, according to authorities.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • This wastewater has to be reinjected underground, or cleaned up at the surface, which is more expensive.
    — Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of underground

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Cite this Entry

“Secretively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secretively. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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