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
The suit alleges that members sidestepped state transparency laws by secretly touring a Dallas data center just days before a key vote in Granbury.
—
Matthew Davisson, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
Police reports from Glynn County, Georgia, said the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center student, Joel Lara Canvasser, secretly filmed his suitemate's every move with a spy camera hidden in a phone charger.
—Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
Analysts say the groups are secretly cooperating with Iran’s government despite public claims of independence, using sophisticated bandwidth to spread content across restricted networks.
—Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
The Israeli security cabinet secretly approved the legalization of over 30 new settler outposts and farms in the occupied West Bank last month, according to three Israeli sources familiar with the decision.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
The actor-comedian revealed in a new interview that he and his longtime love, Olivia Millar, secretly got married and quietly welcomed their second child.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 9 Apr. 2026
The two sisters clash when Tonina secretly buys out a part of their island family house from their cousin Željka, even though the sisters had agreed to buy it together.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2026
In the movie, Reinhart plays Apple, a retail worker who secretly leads a cult with coworkers Cherry and Fig.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
Reinhart plays Apple, a retail worker who secretly leads a cult with coworkers Cherry and Fig.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
Matthew Davisson, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
Police reports from Glynn County, Georgia, said the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center student, Joel Lara Canvasser, secretly filmed his suitemate's every move with a spy camera hidden in a phone charger.
—Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
Analysts say the groups are secretly cooperating with Iran’s government despite public claims of independence, using sophisticated bandwidth to spread content across restricted networks.
—Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
The Israeli security cabinet secretly approved the legalization of over 30 new settler outposts and farms in the occupied West Bank last month, according to three Israeli sources familiar with the decision.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
The actor-comedian revealed in a new interview that he and his longtime love, Olivia Millar, secretly got married and quietly welcomed their second child.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 9 Apr. 2026
The two sisters clash when Tonina secretly buys out a part of their island family house from their cousin Željka, even though the sisters had agreed to buy it together.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2026
In the movie, Reinhart plays Apple, a retail worker who secretly leads a cult with coworkers Cherry and Fig.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
Reinhart plays Apple, a retail worker who secretly leads a cult with coworkers Cherry and Fig.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secretly
Adverb
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There are about 4,700 spaces, 87% of them privately owned, Weber said.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
-
But, for all the sensationalism that has attended the reporting of this story, nothing that Orbán said privately deviated from his public positions.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
SpaceX’s offering could take place as early as June, after the company filed confidentially for an IPO and boosted its target valuation above $2 trillion, according to people familiar with the matter.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
OpenAI also referenced SpaceX’s IPO in the letter, days after Musk’s rocket company confidentially filed for what’s likely to be a record offering.—
Ashley Capoot,Kate Rooney,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Secretly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secretly. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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