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[ adjective ] not open or public; kept private or not revealed
Examples "a secret formula" "secret ingredients" "secret talks" Used in print (Howard Nemerov, "Themes and Methods: The Early...)At_the_same_time the multiple transvestitism involved - the fat man as girl and as baby , as coquette pretending to be a baby - touches for a moment horrifyingly upon the secret sources of a life like Jacoby 's , upon the sinister dreams which form the sources of any human life . The horrifying humor , the specifically sexual embarrassment of the joke gone_wrong , the monstrous image of the fat man dressed_up as a whore dressing_up as a baby ; the epiphany of that quivering flesh ; the bringing_together around it of the secret liaison between indolent , mindless sensuality and sharp , shrewd talent , cleverness with an occasional touch of genius ( which , however , does not know `` how to attack the problem of suffering '' ) ; the miraculous way in which music , revelation and death are associated in a single instant - all this seems a triumph of art , a rather desperate art , in itself ; beyond itself , also , it evokes numerous and distant resonances from the entire body of Mann 's work . (J. H. Hexter, "Thomas More: On the Margins...)generous public provision for the infirm ; democratic and secret elections of all officers including priests , meals taken publicly in common refectories ; a common habit or uniform prescribed for all citizens ; even houses changed once a decade ; six hours of manual_labor a day for all but a handful of magistrates and scholars , and careful measures to prevent anyone from shirking ; no private_property , no money ; no sort of pricing at_all for any goods or services , and therefore no market in the economic sense of the term . (John Hazard Wildman, "Take It Off," The Arizona...)This nettled the children into the revelation of exact truth , a sacrifice of their secret superiority over grown people , but a victory in the wide fields of perpetration and illegitimate accomplishment . Related terms |
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[ noun ] something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on)
Examples "the combination to the safe was a secret" "he tried to keep his drinking a secret" Used in print (Organic Gardening and Farming,...)The more I talked with him , the more convinced I became that that was the secret of their riotous blooming . (Joyce O. Hertzler, American Social Institutions;...)The tensions accompanying a repressive consciousness of wrongdoing or sinning or some tormenting secret are relieved for the less self-contained or self-sufficient by confession , repentance , and penance . (Clayton C. Barbeau, The Ikon....)I think , too '' , he said , his dark eyes mischievous , `` that you will find there some clue to the secret of the cathedrals about which you have spoken '' . (Guy Endore, Voltaire! Voltaire!...)But they , naturally , kept his secret well , and the public at_large knew only of a great excitement in musical and court circles . (Gerald Green, The Heartless Light....)The equation was simple : wealth brought them happiness , and their united front to the world was their warning that they meant to keep everything they had , let no_one in on the secrets . Related terms |
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[ adjective ] not openly made known
Synonyms Examples "a secret marriage" "a secret bride" Used in print (The Rev. John A. O'Brien, "Let's Take Birth Control...)The Conference called_for a vigorous campaign against the open or secret sale of contraceptives . (Gene Caesar, Rifle for Rent....)Tom_Horn was soon back at_work , giving his secret employers their money 's worth . Related terms |
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[ adjective ] conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
Examples "clandestine intelligence operations" "cloak-and-dagger activities" "secret missions" "surreptitious mobilization of troops" "an undercover investigation" "underground resistance" Used in print (Ann Hebson, The Lattimer Legend....)Uncle_Randolph had been riding out every evening on some secret business of his own . (Robert Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land....)Fosterite bishops , after secret conclave , announced the Church 's second Major_Miracle : Supreme_Bishop_Digby had been translated bodily to Heaven and spot-promoted to Archangel , ranking with-but-after Archangel_Foster . Related terms |
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[ adjective ] communicated covertly
Examples "their a secret signal was a wink" "secret messages" Related terms |
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[ adjective ] the next to highest level of official classification for documents
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[ noun ] information known only to a special group
Synonyms Examples "the secret of Cajun cooking" Related terms |
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[ adjective ] (of information) given in confidence or in secret
Synonyms Examples "closet information" "this arrangement must be kept confidential" "their secret communications" Related terms |
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[ adjective ] having an import not apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence; beyond ordinary understanding
Synonyms Examples "mysterious symbols" "the mystical style of Blake" "occult lore" "the secret learning of the ancients" Related terms |
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[ noun ] something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
Synonyms Examples "how it got out is a mystery" "it remains one of nature's secrets" Related terms |
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