Synonyms of secretly

secretly

adverb

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• privately
• confidentially
• in private
• intimately
• backstage
• in camera
• covertly
• clandestinely
• inwardly
• à deux
• tête-à-tête
• surreptitiously
• furtively
• secretively
• stealthily
• sneakily
• conspiratorially
• collusively
• underhandedly
• sotto voce
• undercover
• underground
• offstage
• offscreen
• underhanded
• underhand

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• publicly
• openly

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of secretly

In the criminal case, federal prosecutors confirmed — and the defense admitted — that Hart secretly recorded minors through spyware installed on laptop computers and directed children overseas to produce child pornography. — Sean Emery, Oc Register, 7 Aug. 2026

The suit alleges that his relatives secretly shifted away assets and dissolved a three-decades-old sister company without his permission, stripping him of economic benefits. — Kirk Ogunrinde, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Although many fans assumed that the pair had secretly tied the knot, some reports suggest that the rings aren’t actually wedding bands. — Meg Walters, InStyle, 7 Aug. 2026

Leviss says that the original videos were secretly recorded by Sandoval without her knowledge. — Claudia Rosenbaum, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026

After a Soviet ballistic missile submarine sank in the Pacific Ocean in 1968, the CIA secretly built the Hughes Glomar Explorer, disguised as a deep-sea mining vessel, to recover the wreck from nearly 5,000 meters (16,500 feet) below the surface. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2026

At the same time, Niccolò also secretly commissions the openly gay upstart Michelangelo (Brennan Pickman-Thoon) to paint the Battle of Cascina. — Charles Lewis Iii, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026

Kevin Pearsall, 59, of Long Beach, faces five felony counts of eavesdropping, 23 misdemeanor counts of secretly filming another and three misdemeanor counts of unlawful dissemination of private recordings. — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

McGee, who LeVota publicly accused Thursday of secretly recording a March conversation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2026