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
For the next two decades, the unlikely duo secretly sleuthed together on an array of front-page crimes happening in real time — missing Yale student Annie Le; newlywed George Smith murdered on a cruise ship; missing 5-year-old Noah Thomas, who disappeared in a rural town in Appalachian Virginia.
—
Natasha Stoynoff, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Over the course of the season, Dexter reunites with Harrison in New York City and inadvertently finds his way into the company of other infamous serial killers secretly assembled for meetings at the estate of billionaire philanthropist Leon Prater (Peter Dinklage).
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
This was the case for me, as a freshman who was secretly stuck in a cycle of binge eating and restriction but whose outer appearance didn’t change.
—Mallary Tenore Tarpley, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
The Nun ends on a flashback to a scene from The Conjuring, revealing that Ed and Lorraine performed an exorcism on Maurice, the man who helped Irene defeat Valak but ended up getting secretly possessed in the process.
—Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
The film revolves around Huntr/x, a chart-topping K-pop girl group by day who fight demons by night, and the Saja Boys, a K-pop boy band who are secretly demons themselves, and are determined to steal away Huntr/x fans and take over the world.
—Penelope Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
David Bowie secretly began working on a musical set in 18th-century London in the months leading up to his death in 2016, according to new notes discovered locked in his New York City office.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
An Argentinian couple believed to have secretly kept an 18th-century painting obtained by Nazis during World War II has handed over the artwork to police.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Here's what really happened, including who was secretly terrorizing Lauryn and Owen.
—EW.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Natasha Stoynoff, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Over the course of the season, Dexter reunites with Harrison in New York City and inadvertently finds his way into the company of other infamous serial killers secretly assembled for meetings at the estate of billionaire philanthropist Leon Prater (Peter Dinklage).
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
This was the case for me, as a freshman who was secretly stuck in a cycle of binge eating and restriction but whose outer appearance didn’t change.
—Mallary Tenore Tarpley, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
The Nun ends on a flashback to a scene from The Conjuring, revealing that Ed and Lorraine performed an exorcism on Maurice, the man who helped Irene defeat Valak but ended up getting secretly possessed in the process.
—Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
The film revolves around Huntr/x, a chart-topping K-pop girl group by day who fight demons by night, and the Saja Boys, a K-pop boy band who are secretly demons themselves, and are determined to steal away Huntr/x fans and take over the world.
—Penelope Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
David Bowie secretly began working on a musical set in 18th-century London in the months leading up to his death in 2016, according to new notes discovered locked in his New York City office.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
An Argentinian couple believed to have secretly kept an 18th-century painting obtained by Nazis during World War II has handed over the artwork to police.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Here's what really happened, including who was secretly terrorizing Lauryn and Owen.
—EW.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secretly
Adverb
-
The play-calling coach and young quarterback met privately for an hour each week.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
In professional settings, this may look like a team publicly agreeing to a course of action, but privately listing all of the roadblocks in the way of success.—
Lindsay Phillips,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
So these cases are almost always settled confidentially.—
Stayton Bonner,
Robb Report,
24 Aug. 2025
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Tips can be made to the Arson Watch Reward Program confidentially and anonymously, fire officials said.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Secretly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secretly. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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