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secretive

/ˈsikrɪdɪv/
/ˈsikrətɪv/
IPA guide

If you don't like sharing information or letting other people know how you feel, you're secretive. Secretive people probably make the best spies.

When a person is secretive, they seem mysterious because they don't reveal much about themselves. You can also be secretive about something specific — you might be suspicious of your sister's secretive behavior until you realize she's been planning a surprise party for your birthday. Secretive existed in the same form in Middle English, from the Latin root secretus, "withdrawn, hidden, concealed, or private."

Definitions of secretive
  1. adjective
    inclined to secrecy or reticence about divulging information
    incommunicative, uncommunicative
    not inclined to talk or give information or express opinions
Pronunciation
US
/ˈsikrɪdɪv/
UK
/ˈsikrətɪv/
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