HUSH-HUSH Synonyms: 104 Similar and Opposite Words

hush-hush

adjective

ˈhəsh-ˌhəsh

Definition of hush-hush

as in confidential

not known or meant to be known by the general populace the reporter suspected there was a hush-hush reason why the company agreed to the deal

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in clandestine

undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others top-echelon diplomats met in a hush-hush conference in a last-ditch effort to head off an international crisis

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hush-hush In the early 2000s, women used the democratized format of the blog to talk about previously hush-hush topics. — Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 13 May 2026 And now, Swift’s fans are set to descend on the city, accompanied by hordes of media who until recently had little to no concrete information about the hush-hush affair. — Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 1 July 2026 Curiously, another salamander, the snakelike siren, is a hush-hush bait in a few locations in the South, especially in Florida. — Byron W. Dalrymple, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2026 Jean’s Beach at the Old Stove Pub The hush-hush purchase of the Old Stove Pub by Max Chodorow had everyone chattering for months. — Nancy Kane, Curbed, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hush-hush

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hush-hush

Adjective

The Kremlin said the offer was made via confidential channels; Ukrainian officials have not publicly discussed any such proposal.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
The Supreme Court on Thursday let stand a lower-court order that forces former Fox News reporter Catherine Herridge to either disclose a confidential source or pay $800 a day in court sanctions.

— Julian Mark, Washington Post, 2 July 2026

Definition of confidential

Adjective

That was a concern because other research has indicated the Chinese government has, at times, delayed public disclosure of vulnerabilities submitted to the program so they could later be used in clandestine cyberattacks.

— Thomas Brewster, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
The screening usually focusses on clandestine hanky-panky, but this season the girls’ irreverence was so abundant that the producers treated them to an unprecedented second viewing night.

— Lillian Fishman, New Yorker, 27 June 2026

Definition of clandestine

Adjective

Adding this recipe's not-so-secret ingredient, Bisquick, is a game changer for classic sausage balls.

— Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 1 July 2026
Martin Sheen is the Army captain tasked with going on a secret mission to Cambodia to assassinate a special forces officer (Marlon Brando) who's gone rogue and might actually be nuts.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026

Definition of secret

Adjective

The case stemmed from a 2022 FBI undercover operation where agents posed as real estate developers interested in building a convention center hotel in downtown Jackson, the outlet reported.

— Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
Following her cover story about going undercover as a high school student, Leibrock worked for SN&R a few more years before joining the staff at The Bee.

— Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 27 June 2026

Definition of undercover

Adjective

Gabriella paid off most of his entourage to leave him and the band alone and is now basically his own private Joe Jackson, pressuring him to record nonstop.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 6 July 2026
The Castro family has been linked, through GAESA chiefly, to a lucrative world of hotels, banks, retail monopolies, foreign-currency businesses, foreign private compounds and offshore accounts.

— Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026

Definition of private

Adjective

To achieve this, Israel employed airstrikes, cyberattacks, interdictions of weapons and covert action to impede Iran’s ability to resupply Hezbollah’s existing arsenal and supply it with more advanced weapons.

— Amy McAuliffe, The Conversation, 26 June 2026
After 1996, when the protease inhibitors were developed, the duty to warn continued to be an important standard when HIV status became more clinically covert.

— M. Sara Rosenthal, STAT, 25 June 2026

Definition of covert

Adjective

These efforts are intended to validate the unique aspects of its underground deployment strategy before commercial operation.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 July 2026
The engraving was found at an underground Mithras temple at Zerzevan Castle, a Turkish fortification roughly 40 miles north of the Syrian border.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026

Definition of underground

Browse Nearby Words

hushes (up)

hush-hush

hushing

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“Hush-hush.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hush-hush. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of hush-hush

adjective

Example Sentences

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