secret (n.)

  1. 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'

  2. information known only to a special group; the secret of Cajun cooking

    [ Syn: arcanum ]

  3. 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 (adj.)

  1. not open or public; kept private or not revealed; a secret formula; secret ingredients; secret talks'

  2. 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 ]

  3. the next to highest level of official classification for documents

  4. 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 ]

  5. not openly made known; a secret marriage; a secret bride

    [ Syn: unavowed ]

  6. communicated covertly; their secret signal was a wink; secret messages'

  7. not expressed; secret (or private) thoughts

    [ Syn: private ]

  8. 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 ]

  9. hidden from general view or use; a privy place to rest and think; a secluded romantic spot; a secret garden

    [ Syn: privy , secluded ]

  10. (of information) given in confidence or in secret; this arrangement must be kept confidential; their secret communications

    [ Syn: confidential ]

  11. indulging only covertly; a secret alcoholic'

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.