Word family noun secrecy secret secretiveness adjective secret secretive verb secrete adverb secretly secretively
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsecrecyse‧cre‧cy /ˈsiːkrəsi/ ●○○ noun [uncountable] 1 SECRETthe process of keeping something secret, or when something is kept a secret → secret I must stress the need for absolute secrecy about the project. His work was shrouded in secrecy. the veil of secrecy that covered the talks2 → swear somebody to secrecyExamples from the Corpus
secrecy• A 10-year life span for classified information, unless an agency specifies that the information must have continued secrecy.• You must make him understand the need for secrecy.• The expansion of citizen participation is greatly threatened today by government secrecy, industrial monopolies, and a closed media.• They were given uniforms; there was a rudimentary organisation; they practised drilling and, in secrecy, weapons training.• There is a great deal of secrecy within the organization.• The decision to release the documents reverses a Red Cross policy of secrecy.• The gunmen tracked down their target, despite the shroud of secrecy surrounding his whereabouts.• It had what all lovers lovers, seek, secrecy, privacy, exclusivity.• Why all the secrecy? You've got nothing to be ashamed of.• Anna swore me to secrecy on the subject of her family until her book came out.• In implementing his plan, Reagan operated in the utmost secrecy.• Our commanding officer emphasized the need to maintain the utmost secrecy about the operation at all times.absolute secrecy• In the area of basic national defense the frequent need for absolute secrecy is, of course, self-evident.• Secrecy Rule 2.1 stresses the need for absolute secrecy before an announcement is made.• Until radicals grasped the need to conduct their affairs in absolute secrecy, their chances of conspiring effectively were remote.Origin secrecy (1500-1600) secretie “secrecy” ((15-16 centuries)), from secre “secret” ((14-16 centuries)), from Old French secré, from Latin secretus; → SECRET1 