secretly

secretly — adverb

1. doing something without letting other people see, hear, or know about it

1.副詞B1
釋義

doing something without letting other people see, hear, or know about it

例句

Sari secretly baked a cake for her sister's birthday party.

secretly + verb for hidden action

Hamza secretly saved money each month to buy his mother a gift.

secretly + verb + purpose clause

同義詞
  • privately

    focuses on personal space or confidentiality rather than deliberate hiding

  • covertly

    more formal, often used for official, military, or police operations

  • quietly

    broader meaning — can mean without sound rather than without knowledge

反義詞
  • openly

    doing something in full view, with nothing hidden

  • publicly

    in a way that everyone can see or know

文法句型

secretly + verb

verb + secretly

secretly + [clause] at sentence start

用法筆記

Secretly usually comes right before the main verb, but it can also appear at the start of a sentence to emphasise that the hidden quality applies to the whole situation (e.g., 'Secretly, Antonia was thrilled about the news.').

常見錯誤

❌Megan secretly told everyone about the surprise.
✅Megan quietly told one friend about the surprise.
💡If many people know, the action is no longer hidden; 'secretly' only works when the information or action stays hidden from most people.