steganography
noun
steg·a·nog·ra·phy
ˌste-gə-ˈnä-grə-fē 
1
archaic
: cryptography
2
: the art or practice of concealing a message, image, or file within another message, image, or file
Did you know?
Steganography is a word that was resurrected after being in disuse for almost 150 years! It was put to rest in the early 1800s, labeled an archaic synonym of "cryptography" by dictionary makers, but was brought back to life in the 1980s as a word for a type of digital cryptography. There is nothing cryptic about the word's origin; it is based on the Greek word steganos, meaning "covered" or "reticent."
Examples of steganography in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Here, by way of example, malicious installs were hidden in images downloaded to the phone using steganography.
—
Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Individualize Data And Files: One promising area to prevent leaks has its origins in Ancient Greece and is known as steganography, or the act of concealing information in plain sight.
—Troy Batterberry, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
This time, some variants use techniques such as steganography, an obfuscation method rarely seen in mobile malware.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 23 Sep. 2024
The security flaw relies on steganography—the practice of hiding a message within another message.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Jan. 2015
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Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Individualize Data And Files: One promising area to prevent leaks has its origins in Ancient Greece and is known as steganography, or the act of concealing information in plain sight.
—Troy Batterberry, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
This time, some variants use techniques such as steganography, an obfuscation method rarely seen in mobile malware.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 23 Sep. 2024
The security flaw relies on steganography—the practice of hiding a message within another message.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Jan. 2015
Cite this Entry
“Steganography.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steganography. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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