secretly
247
1.4
- adverb
- /ˈsiːkrɪtli/
- He whispered the secret to her secretly, making sure no one else could hear.
- secretly fond of
- secretly negotiate
- secretly sell
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Watch on YouTubeI think people secretly agree about Islam.
- I think people secretly agree about Islam.
- It does obey, but secretly inside it wants to say, screw you.
- They're struck with a bad conscience and secretly condemn themselves, he says.
- He sent Jake Sullivan secretly to Amman with Puneet Tawar.
- Yes, Kristen, I'm sorry for secretly dosing you with LSD.
- I was just backstage talking with Tammy, who secretly remarried her ex-husband Paul.
- And some people might secretly be at rock bottom.
- No, I am not currently secretly dating anybody.
Examples
-
Efforts were made to ensure that votes were cast secretly, counted, and reported honestly.
Academic text (1990) -
So he started secretly buying shares of Twitter.
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And some people might secretly be at rock bottom.
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And so I then secretly went and saw it before.
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For years, I have been working secretly to develop a new age of protection.
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I have been secretly dating someone for a few months now.
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In the tiny space between her lips, she might, secretly, still be breathing.
Fiction book (1991) -
We'll take that money and we'll secretly fund the Contras.
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I don't like it, but I secretly feel loved by it.
-
As David, in the background, waits in the alley, Jack secretly hands his money to Fat Max.
Fiction book (1992)
Synonyms
374
6.3
Working secretly to get information about people and groups
179
3.2
In a way not shared with other people
68
2.5
In a way other people do not know
31
6.0
Most people do not know about it
17
6.9
In a secret way so other people do not know
15
8.3
To do something secretly to avoid being noticed
11
4.4
In a private way so no one else knows
10
7.8
In a secret way so other people do not know
6
5.7
In a quiet, secret way to avoid being seen
3
8.0
In a secret way to avoid being seen or found
3
4.9
In a secret way so other people do not notice
2
6.5
Without being easily seen or noticed by other people
2
9.9
In secret so other people do not know
1
8.6
In secret and quietly so nobody finds out
1
6.1
In a quiet way that hides what you do or think
To act in a secret way so people do not notice you
In a secret or suspicious way
Antonyms
How Secretive
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word secretly comes from secret, which originally meant 'set apart' or 'hidden', and the ending -ly turns it into a word meaning 'in a certain way'. So to do something secretly is to do it apart from others, quietly and out of sight.