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
And secretly, Järnkrok was too.
—
Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
The season finale of House of Guinness opens with Patrick Cochrane — the Fenian Brotherhood leader who Edward had banished to New York — secretly returning to Ireland, with both an axe to grind against the Guinnesses and a perilous political mission to carry out.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
From scrunchies that secretly double as drink covers to zipper clips that stop pickpockets from opening your backpack, these viral finds prove that travel safety doesn’t have to be cumbersome or expensive.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2025
The case centers on accusations that Moammar Gadhafi’s government secretly bankrolled Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential bid in exchange for diplomatic favors—a claim that has long stirred controversy in France and abroad.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
The Obama Administration secretly negotiated the Iran nuclear deal without consulting GCC capitals.
—Firas Maksad, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
Keanu had once again put his faith in Vince Panaro, not realizing that Vince was secretly stringing him along the entire time.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2025
It's later revealed that Vice President JD Vance has secretly been behind these plans to get rid of Satan's baby.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
Heavener and Elliott sued, alleging that Phillips had invaded their privacy by secretly recording them.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 23 Sep. 2025
Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
The season finale of House of Guinness opens with Patrick Cochrane — the Fenian Brotherhood leader who Edward had banished to New York — secretly returning to Ireland, with both an axe to grind against the Guinnesses and a perilous political mission to carry out.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
From scrunchies that secretly double as drink covers to zipper clips that stop pickpockets from opening your backpack, these viral finds prove that travel safety doesn’t have to be cumbersome or expensive.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2025
The case centers on accusations that Moammar Gadhafi’s government secretly bankrolled Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential bid in exchange for diplomatic favors—a claim that has long stirred controversy in France and abroad.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
The Obama Administration secretly negotiated the Iran nuclear deal without consulting GCC capitals.
—Firas Maksad, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
Keanu had once again put his faith in Vince Panaro, not realizing that Vince was secretly stringing him along the entire time.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2025
It's later revealed that Vice President JD Vance has secretly been behind these plans to get rid of Satan's baby.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
Heavener and Elliott sued, alleging that Phillips had invaded their privacy by secretly recording them.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secretly
Adverb
-
Many people in Washington privately say that federal law should be the solution.—
The AI Insider,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Instead, the royal couple met privately with the Catholic leader on April 9.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
22 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
So these cases are almost always settled confidentially.—
Stayton Bonner,
Robb Report,
24 Aug. 2025
-
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 29 Sep. 2025.
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