as in privately
in a manner intended to prevent knowledge or awareness by others
the girl secretly told her friends about the birthday party so it would be a surprise to the birthday girl
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of secretly
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly ordered the Israeli military to send an Iron Dome interceptor battery - and soldiers to operate it - to the UAE after a call with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a move that demonstrates just how far ties have come.
—
Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
The latest lawsuit claims that a woman was a member of the swim school in 2023 when she was secretly recorded in the changing room.
—Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 1 May 2026
After vowing to be an ally of June’s (Elisabeth Moss) Mayday resistance movement at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, Lydia has been secretly recording her thoughts and working behind the scenes in her allyship in The Testaments.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 29 Apr. 2026
This transit is shedding light on surface-level power and the unseen social currents secretly dictating your life.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026
Feeling restless and reckless, Michael (LJ Benet) is drawn to a hard-rocking local band that is secretly a quartet of young vampires that is literally sucking the life out of the community.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
Twenty-six years ago, students treated a visit by then-President Bill Clinton as a challenge, and outwitted the Secret Service by secretly rigging a banner to unfurl at an inopportune moment.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2026
The Justice Department is focusing on how the SPLC secretly paid informants working inside the Ku Klux Klan and other organizations the SPLC viewed as white supremacy and hate groups.
—Beth Gazley, The Conversation, 24 Apr. 2026
The film follows a woman who grieves the loss of her mother by secretly attending the funerals of strangers.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026
Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
The latest lawsuit claims that a woman was a member of the swim school in 2023 when she was secretly recorded in the changing room.
—Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 1 May 2026
After vowing to be an ally of June’s (Elisabeth Moss) Mayday resistance movement at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, Lydia has been secretly recording her thoughts and working behind the scenes in her allyship in The Testaments.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 29 Apr. 2026
This transit is shedding light on surface-level power and the unseen social currents secretly dictating your life.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026
Feeling restless and reckless, Michael (LJ Benet) is drawn to a hard-rocking local band that is secretly a quartet of young vampires that is literally sucking the life out of the community.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
Twenty-six years ago, students treated a visit by then-President Bill Clinton as a challenge, and outwitted the Secret Service by secretly rigging a banner to unfurl at an inopportune moment.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2026
The Justice Department is focusing on how the SPLC secretly paid informants working inside the Ku Klux Klan and other organizations the SPLC viewed as white supremacy and hate groups.
—Beth Gazley, The Conversation, 24 Apr. 2026
The film follows a woman who grieves the loss of her mother by secretly attending the funerals of strangers.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secretly
Adverb
-
In circumstances similar to the ones surrounding the Cheboygan Lock and Dam's ongoing failure scare, the Midland area dams were old and undersized, privately owned, poorly maintained and on regulators' radar for years before a massive spring flood destroyed them.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
According to the house, its three most expensive paintings sold in 2025 were sold privately.—
George Nelson,
ARTnews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Fervo Energy filed confidentially in January for a geothermal IPO.—
Tenzin Seldon,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
-
On Monday, Jersey Mike's confidentially filed for an initial public offering.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,Morgan Chittum,Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Secretly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secretly. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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