secretive
adjective
se·cre·tive
ˈsē-krə-tiv 
si-ˈkrē-
: disposed to secrecy : not open or outgoing in speech, activity, or purposes
secretively
adverb
secretiveness
noun
Examples of secretive in a Sentence
He's very secretive about his work.
the intelligence agency remained secretive despite the media's demands for more openness in government
Recent Examples on the Web
Congressional Republicans called the expenditure wasteful and the secretive project fueled more suspicions about its necessity, according to the historical association.
—
Bart Jansen, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Padilla, the son of immigrants from Mexico, has for months been urging immigration agents to be more transparent, to drop any masks and to be less secretive.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, eight days after Apple postponed The Savant, FBI director Kash Patel shuttered the very real (though, secretive) program — a partnership with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) — on which the series (and the Cosmopolitan story) is based.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
Critics point out that decades-old, secretive clique structures remain deeply embedded in the department.
—Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for secretive
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Bart Jansen, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Padilla, the son of immigrants from Mexico, has for months been urging immigration agents to be more transparent, to drop any masks and to be less secretive.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, eight days after Apple postponed The Savant, FBI director Kash Patel shuttered the very real (though, secretive) program — a partnership with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) — on which the series (and the Cosmopolitan story) is based.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
Critics point out that decades-old, secretive clique structures remain deeply embedded in the department.
—Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for secretive
Cite this Entry
“Secretive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secretive. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
secretive
adjective
se·cre·tive
ˈsē-krət-iv
si-ˈkrēt-
: having a tendency toward secrecy and concealment : not frank or open
secretively
adverb
secretiveness
noun
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