as in privately
in a manner intended to prevent knowledge or awareness by others
the girl secretly told her friends about the birthday party so it would be a surprise to the birthday girl
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Recent Examples of secretly
Then there’s Odette (Madison Hu), who is secretly in love with Cleo, but mostly keeps it to herself.
—
Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
The same day the bill was announced, The Information revealed how Apple was secretly blocking vibe-coding startups like Replit and Vibecode from updating their apps.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 20 Mar. 2026
The news that a group of hot young Mormon moms were secretly husband-swapping went predictably viral, and shortly thereafter reality producers started circling.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
In the filing, O’Connell accused Garza of secretly negotiating with city officials and withholding information that could help clear a police officer set to stand trial this summer — a claim that, if true, could represent a serious breach of prosecutorial ethics and potentially upend the case.
—Tony Plohetski, Austin American Statesman, 19 Mar. 2026
When Disney started to cast a new sitcom about a middle schooler secretly moonlighting as a pop star, Cyrus initially auditioned for the sidekick role, Lilly, who was ultimately played by Emily Osment.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
Critics say investors can secretly sway case strategy, putting their profit before the best interests of a client.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Following the end of her own engagement, Lou’s friend Tilda (Billie Lourd) enlists her services writing her vows, for which Lou secretly repurposes her own.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
Still, Frankel told EW in the oral history piece that production designer Jess Gonchor secretly infiltrated the Vogue offices to scope Wintour's workspace — and replicated its aesthetic for the movie.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026
Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
The same day the bill was announced, The Information revealed how Apple was secretly blocking vibe-coding startups like Replit and Vibecode from updating their apps.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 20 Mar. 2026
The news that a group of hot young Mormon moms were secretly husband-swapping went predictably viral, and shortly thereafter reality producers started circling.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
In the filing, O’Connell accused Garza of secretly negotiating with city officials and withholding information that could help clear a police officer set to stand trial this summer — a claim that, if true, could represent a serious breach of prosecutorial ethics and potentially upend the case.
—Tony Plohetski, Austin American Statesman, 19 Mar. 2026
When Disney started to cast a new sitcom about a middle schooler secretly moonlighting as a pop star, Cyrus initially auditioned for the sidekick role, Lilly, who was ultimately played by Emily Osment.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
Critics say investors can secretly sway case strategy, putting their profit before the best interests of a client.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Following the end of her own engagement, Lou’s friend Tilda (Billie Lourd) enlists her services writing her vows, for which Lou secretly repurposes her own.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
Still, Frankel told EW in the oral history piece that production designer Jess Gonchor secretly infiltrated the Vogue offices to scope Wintour's workspace — and replicated its aesthetic for the movie.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secretly
Adverb
-
Could litigation over 'The Bachelorette' be resolved privately?—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Trump reportedly told her privately not to escalate the ensuing diplomatic spat with Beijing.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
19 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Shared information will be treated confidentially.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
-
He was not allowed to review medical records, examine facility health policies, assess staffing levels or speak confidentially with detainees.—
Alexandra Mendoza,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Secretly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secretly. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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