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Glite Dictionary
state secret

state secret

11 6.5
Information a government keeps secret because it affects the country's safety
  • noun
  • /steɪt ˈsiːkrɪt/
translation icon : secreto de Estado
  • The government keeps certain information classified as state secrets for national security.
  • theft of state secrets

And that guy just gave away state secrets to the Russians.

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Examples

  • In fact, a state secret in a democracy belongs to representatives or servants of the people.

    Academic text (2014)

  • China replied that it was a state secret.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Is this a state secret?

    Meet Joe Black (1998)

  • The following is a state secret.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The British government uses them to transport state secrets.

    Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

  • Even statistics on the size of reserves were a state secret.

    Academic text (1993)

  • And that guy just gave away state secrets to the Russians.

    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

  • But actual reserve estimates are state secrets.

    Collapse (2012)

  • Hey, you can't take that, those are state secrets!

    Breaking Barbi (2019)

  • Trading state secrets is an act of treason, you know.

    Chappaquiddick (2018)

Synonyms

intelligence
vsstate secret
531 4.6

Secret information collected about a country or group for security

is specific classified content, not the collection work or operations
inside information
vsstate secret
22 5.4

Secret facts not known to the public that give an advantage

is government-classified for security or public interest, not mainly private advantage
intelligence information
vsstate secret
  • Specialized
12 4.6

Secret facts about an enemy or danger that governments use

is broader government-classified confidential data for national security or public interest
super-secret
vsstate secret
1 7.7

A very private piece of information kept from most people

is government confidential material classified for national interest rather than mere secrecy

Antonyms

transparency
146 3.7

Being clear so people can see or understand how something works

public knowledge
14 2.0

Facts that anyone can find out

How Secret

top secret
  • Formal
55 4.2
state secret
11 6.5
secret
∞ 2.0
confidential
205 5.3
restricted
18 3.9
public
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

state secret singular
state secrets plural

Morphology

state + secret

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'state' (the government or nation) plus 'secret' (confidential information): together they mean information classified by the government. This modifier–head pattern is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish 'secreto de Estado') and follows standard English noun phrase composition, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will understand it.

Etymology

The noun state secret gives a simple picture: the state, meaning the government, locks important papers away so they stay secret. That's why today state secret means 'information the government keeps hidden to keep the country safe'.