secrecy
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the state of being kept secret or hidden from other people.
the condition of being concealed or kept from public knowledge. Uncountable in this general sense.
Simple“The government operated in total secrecy while planning the new law.”
In context“The entire operation was shrouded in secrecy, with only a handful of senior officials aware of the mission's true objectives.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
the habit of keeping your actions or thoughts hidden from others.
the quality or characteristic of being secretive or inclined to keep secrets.
Simple“His natural secrecy made it very difficult for his friends to help him.”
In context“Her habitual secrecy regarding her past led to significant tension within the family as more questions remained unanswered.”
SynonymssecretivenessdiscretionAntonymshonestyfrankness
Alteration (on model of primacy, etc) of Late Middle English secretee, from Old French secré.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.