What does divulging mean?
Divulging is the act of revealing information that was meant to be kept private or confidential. As the present participle of the verb 'divulge,' it carries a distinctly formal tone and appears most often in legal, journalistic, and professional writing. The word typically implies that something sensitive — a secret, a confidence, classified data — has been passed on to someone who was not originally intended to receive it, and it frequently carries a connotation of impropriety or breach of trust. One might be accused of divulging trade secrets, divulging state matters, or divulging personal confidences. Its Latin roots are telling: derived from 'divulgare,' meaning 'to publish or make common among the people,' it shares ancestry with 'vulgar,' which originally meant simply 'of the common people.' This etymology makes the word's meaning transparent at its core — divulging is precisely what happens when something private becomes common knowledge.
verb (present participle and gerund of divulge)The act of making known private, secret, or sensitive information to others.
- To reveal or make known information that was previously private or secret.
"The whistleblower risked everything by divulging the company's hidden financial dealings."
"She was dismissed for divulging confidential client data to a competitor."
"He hesitated before divulging the details of his childhood to the interviewer."
Divulging comes from the same Latin root as 'vulgar' — literally meaning 'to make common,' it's what happens when a secret becomes public property.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of divulging
Divulging derives from the Latin verb 'divulgare,' formed from 'dis-' (indicating breadth or extension) and 'vulgus' (the common people), literally meaning 'to make known to the masses.' The word entered English in the late Middle English period, around the 15th century, initially carrying a broader sense of publishing or proclaiming publicly before narrowing to its modern emphasis on revealing what was previously held secret. It shares its root with 'vulgar,' 'vulgate,' and other words connected to 'vulgus,' all pointing back to the idea of the common populace.
Related word forms
How divulging is actually used
Formal in register, often appearing in legal, journalistic, or professional contexts. Frequently used with an implied sense of impropriety or breach of trust, especially when preceded by words like 'guilty of' or 'prohibited from.'
Easily confused with divulging
Indulging means allowing oneself to enjoy something freely; divulging means revealing secret information — they differ only in their opening consonant.