What does secretive mean?
Secretive describes a person, organization, or manner of behaving that keeps information concealed. The word suggests an intentional reluctance to reveal thoughts, activities, plans, or motives, and it commonly appears in contexts such as secretive about a decision or a highly secretive organization. Although secretive can simply mean private or reserved, it often carries a negative or suspicious implication that the concealment is unusually strong. It should not be confused with discreet, which usually describes someone who knows how to handle confidential information tactfully. Secretive is also stronger than merely quiet: quietness may result from shyness, fatigue, or lack of interest, whereas secrecy implies that information is being deliberately withheld. The adjective is useful when describing behavior that creates uncertainty, erodes trust, or signals a preference for privacy.
adjectiveInclined to conceal one's thoughts, activities, plans, or other information. It can also suggest excessive or suspicious secrecy.
- Inclined to conceal one's thoughts, activities, plans, or other information from others.
"Her secretive behavior made it difficult for her friends to know what she was planning."
"The company remained secretive about its plans for the new product."
"Rather than openly discussing his doubts, he adopted a secretive and guarded manner."
A secretive person isn't merely quiet: they are actively keeping others from knowing what they know.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does secretive come from?
Secretive is a 19th-century English formation from secret combined with the adjectival suffix -ive. Its base word secret came into Middle English through Old French from Latin secretus, meaning hidden or concealed, ultimately associated with Latin secrēre, meaning to conceal. Related English words include secrecy, secretion, and secretary, all of which reflect the same wider root.
Related word forms
How secretive is actually used
Secretive often carries a mildly negative or suspicious connotation because it suggests deliberate concealment rather than ordinary reserve. It is commonly followed by about, as in secretive about his plans, and may also occur with of in such constructions as secretive of his motives.
Easily confused with secretive
Secretive implies a tendency to conceal information, whereas discreet means careful and tactful about revealing what should remain private.
Secretive describes a person's habit of withholding information, while a secret is the concealed information itself.