something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on); the combination to the safe was a secret; he tried to keep his drinking a secret'
information known only to a special group; the secret of Cajun cooking
[ Syn: arcanum ]
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained; how it got out is a mystery; it remains one of natures secrets
[ Syn: mystery , enigma , closed book ]
secret (n.)
not open or public; kept private or not revealed; a secret formula; secret ingredients; secret talks'
having an import not apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence; beyond ordinary understanding; mysterious symbols; the mystical style of Blake; occult lore; the secret learning of the ancients
[ Syn: mysterious , mystic , mystical , occult , orphic ]
the next to highest level of official classification for documents
conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods; clandestine intelligence operations; cloak-and-dagger activities behind enemy lines; hole-and-corner intrigue; secret missions; a secret agent; secret sales of arms; surreptitious mobilization of troops; an undercover investigation; underground resistance
[ Syn: clandestine , cloak-and-dagger , hole-and-corner , hugger-mugger , hush-hush , surreptitious , undercover , underground ]
not openly made known; a secret marriage; a secret bride
[ Syn: unavowed ]
communicated covertly; their secret signal was a wink; secret messages'
not expressed; secret (or private) thoughts
[ Syn: private ]
designed to elude detection; a hidden room or place of concealment such as a priest hole; a secret passage; the secret compartment in the desk
[ Syn: hidden ]
hidden from general view or use; a privy place to rest and think; a secluded romantic spot; a secret garden
(of information) given in confidence or in secret; this arrangement must be kept confidential; their secret communications
[ Syn: confidential ]
indulging only covertly; a secret alcoholic'