What does secretively mean?
Secretively is an adverb meaning “in a secret or concealed manner.” It describes an action performed without drawing attention to itself or allowing others to know about it, as in “The committee prepared its proposal secretively.” The word is especially useful when the manner of acting is significant: secretively can imply deliberate planning, careful concealment, or activity undertaken away from scrutiny. It occurs in formal, literary, and ordinary contemporary English in British and American usage. Although secretively and secretly are closely related, secretively focuses more explicitly on the covert manner of an action. Its connotation depends on context: it may neutrally describe privacy, but it can also imply that the secrecy is suspicious or ethically questionable. Secretively derives from the adjective secretive and ultimately from Latin, where secretus referred to something separated, hidden, or kept apart from view.
adverbIn a secret or concealed manner; covertly.
- In a concealed, private, or covert manner.
"She secretively arranged the documents before leaving the office."
"The negotiations continued secretively for several months."
"He watched the changing display secretively from the back of the gallery."
Secretively ultimately reaches back to Latin secretus, meaning “hidden” or “apart”—a reminder that secrecy is essentially a matter of keeping things separated from view.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does secretively come from?
Secretively was formed in English by adding the adverbial suffix -ly to secretive. Its wider family comes through Middle and Old English from Latin secretus, a past participle of secare meaning “to separate,” with the sense “separated apart,” “hidden,” or “private.” The same Latin root underlies related English words such as secrecy, secrete, and secretion.
How secretively is actually used
Secretively is used in formal and literary contexts as well as in ordinary speech. It often suggests deliberate concealment and may carry a mildly disapproving tone when applied to conduct that ought to be open.
Easily confused with secretively
Secretively emphasizes a manner of acting without others' knowledge, whereas secretly can also mean privately, by oneself, or without attracting attention.