What does secret mean?
A secret is information, a fact, or a matter that is known only to a few people and is intended to remain private. The adjective secret describes anything concealed from public knowledge, such as a secret plan, a secret meeting, or secret information. In everyday speech, the word often suggests deliberate withholding and can carry a connotation of impropriety, suspense, or personal privacy, although a secret may also be harmless or merely confidential. As a verb, secret is comparatively rare and literary: it can mean to keep something private or to reveal it formally. The related adjective secretive describes someone who habitually conceals information, which is not quite the same as describing the information itself as secret. Secret also appears in idioms such as keep a secret and open secret, and in the common contrast between secrecy and disclosure.
Information, a fact, or a matter known only to one or a few people and intended to remain private.
"He refused to reveal the secret to anyone outside the family."
Can also refer to a hidden reason or motive, as in "the secrets of the ocean."
Concealed from public knowledge or known only to a limited group of people.
"The negotiations took place in secret."
When describing a person in the sense of being covert or unacknowledged, the word is usually formal or literary.
To keep something secret or to make something known, especially in formal or literary usage.
"The committee met to secret the findings of the inquiry."
The verb is uncommon in modern everyday English; "keep secret" and "reveal" are usually more natural.
The plural is used for individual hidden facts, private matters, or undisclosed matters.
"The diary contained secrets that no one had known."
A secret can be an undiscovered fact, but an open secret is already known to almost everyone.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does secret come from?
The word comes through Old French from Latin secretum, originally a neuter adjective meaning "hidden, concealed," and later a noun meaning "something hidden." The Latin noun was used for a private or concealed matter, including in legal and religious contexts. Its relatives include secrecy, secretive, and secrete, all of which continue the ideas of concealment or keeping something private.
Related word forms
How secret is actually used
In ordinary use, secret usually implies deliberate concealment by someone who has or controls the information. As an adjective, it commonly describes information, plans, or arrangements; in a few specialized contexts, it can also mean covert or unacknowledged. The verb is relatively uncommon in modern English and sounds formal or literary.
Easily confused with secret
Secret means concealed or known only to a few people, whereas secretive describes a person who habitually withholds information.