Hidden & Secret Vocabulary

not openly acknowledged or displayed; secret

“The covert operation was known only to a few.”

Origin: Old French covert `covered` from Latin cooperire `to cover completely`

kept secret because illicit or improper

“They held clandestine meetings in the warehouse.”

Origin: Latin clandestinus `secret, hidden` from clam `secretly`

kept secret, especially because improper

“He cast a surreptitious glance at his notes.”

Origin: Latin surrepticius `stolen, secret` from surripere `to take away secretly`

attempting to avoid notice or attention

“Her furtive behavior aroused suspicion.”

Origin: Latin furtivus `stolen, hidden` from furtum `theft` from fur `thief`

behaving so as to avoid detection

“The stealthy cat crept toward its prey.”

Origin: Middle English stelthe from stelen `to steal` from Old English stelan

having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure

“His cryptic message left everyone puzzled.”

Origin: Greek kryptikos `hidden` from kryptein `to hide`

difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious

“She gave an enigmatic smile and said nothing.”

Origin: Greek ainigma `riddle` from ainissesthai `to speak in riddles`

impossible to understand or interpret

“His inscrutable expression revealed nothing.”

Origin: Latin inscrutabilis `unsearchable` from in- `not` + scrutari `to search`

not transparent; hard to understand

“The company's finances remained opaque to outsiders.”

Origin: Latin opacus `shaded, dark`

not discovered or known; uncertain

“The origins of the tradition remain obscure.”

Origin: Latin obscurus `dark, dim` from ob- `over` + -scurus `covered`

existing but not yet developed or manifest

“She has latent talent that needs nurturing.”

Origin: Latin latens `lying hidden` from latere `to lie hidden`

temporarily inactive; in a state of rest

“The volcano had been dormant for centuries.”

Origin: Old French dormant `sleeping` from Latin dormire `to sleep`

partially concealed or disguised

“The veiled criticism was hard to miss.”

Origin: Old French veile `veil` from Latin vela, plural of velum `sail, curtain, veil`

covered or enveloped so as to conceal

“The mountain was shrouded in mist.”

Origin: Old English scrud `garment, clothing` related to scrūd `to clothe`

supernatural; beyond ordinary knowledge

“He studied occult practices from ancient texts.”

Origin: Latin occultus `hidden, secret` from occulere `to conceal`

understood by few; mysterious

“The arcane rules confused newcomers.”

Origin: Latin arcanus `secret, mysterious` from arca `chest, box`

intended for or understood by a select few

“The esoteric philosophy attracted dedicated followers.”

Origin: Greek esoterikos `belonging to an inner circle` from esotero `inner`

little known; abstruse

“His recondite references puzzled most readers.”

Origin: Latin reconditus `hidden away, obscure` from recondere `to put away`

covered or hidden

“The true purpose was cloaked in bureaucratic language.”

Origin: Old North French cloque `cloak, bell` from Medieval Latin clocca `bell` (from its bell-like shape)

not revealed or made known publicly

“The buyer's identity remained undisclosed.”

Origin: English un- `not` + disclose from Old French desclos `opened` from Latin dis- `apart` + claudere `to close`

existing beyond what is obvious or admitted; intentionally hidden

“He had ulterior motives for helping them.”

Origin: Latin ulterior `more distant, further` comparative of ulter `beyond`

below the threshold of sensation or consciousness

“The ad used subliminal messaging to influence buyers.”

Origin: Latin sub- `below` + limen `threshold`