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
Other officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, supported the move, explaining the secretive nature was necessary to preserve the operation’s integrity.
—
Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 3 Jan. 2026
The secretive unit also conducted numerous counterterrorism missions in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Middle East, targeting senior al-Qaeda figures.
—Michael Dorgan , Rachel Wolf , David Spunt , Lucas Y. Tomlinson, FOXNews.com, 3 Jan. 2026
Currently, China is Venezuela’s top oil customer, according to analysts, but due to the secretive nature of some of those exports exact data is hard to come by.
—Steve Kopack, NBC news, 3 Jan. 2026
China’s historic Shijian experiments China’s space administration has been characteristically secretive regarding the Shijian 29A and 29B satellites.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025
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Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 3 Jan. 2026
The secretive unit also conducted numerous counterterrorism missions in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Middle East, targeting senior al-Qaeda figures.
—Michael Dorgan , Rachel Wolf , David Spunt , Lucas Y. Tomlinson, FOXNews.com, 3 Jan. 2026
Currently, China is Venezuela’s top oil customer, according to analysts, but due to the secretive nature of some of those exports exact data is hard to come by.
—Steve Kopack, NBC news, 3 Jan. 2026
China’s historic Shijian experiments China’s space administration has been characteristically secretive regarding the Shijian 29A and 29B satellites.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 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 7 Jan. 2026.
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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