hush-hush

/'hʌʃ'hʌʃ/
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hush-hush

The meeting about the new project was very hush-hush.

Definition

Adjective: 1. Kept secret or confidential; not to be disclosed or discussed publicly: Refers to information, activities, or matters that are deliberately concealed from general knowledge. 2. Characterized by secrecy or covertness: Describes operations or affairs conducted in a secretive manner.

Usage

The adjective "hush-hush" is used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like "is" or "was"). It is an informal term that emphasizes the need for discretion and silence about a subject. It often implies that the secrecy is official or institutional.

Examples
  • Attributive use:
    • The details of the merger are still hush-hush until the official announcement.
    • He was assigned to a hush-hush government project.
  • Predicative use:
    • The whole operation was very hush-hush.
    • Please keep this hush-hush for now.
Advanced Usage
  • "to be hush-hush about something": To be deliberately secretive or tight-lipped concerning a particular matter.
    • The management is being very hush-hush about the layoffs.
Variants and Related Words
  • Hush (verb/noun): To make or become silent; a silence or quiet.
    • They tried to hush the scandal.
  • Hushed (adjective): (Of a place, voice, or conversation) quiet, subdued, or conducted in low tones, often because of secrecy or reverence.
    • They spoke in hushed tones about the incident.
Synonyms
  • Secret: Kept hidden from knowledge or view.
  • Confidential: Intended to be kept secret.
  • Clandestine: Kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit.
  • Covert: Not openly acknowledged or displayed.
  • Classified: (Of information) officially declared secret.
Antonyms
  • Public: Of or concerning the people as a whole; open to general knowledge.
  • Open: Allowed to be accessed or known; not secret.
  • Overt: Done or shown openly; plainly apparent.
Related Idioms/Phrases
  • Keep something under wraps: To keep something secret.
    • The new product design is being kept under wraps; it's all very hush-hush.
  • Behind closed doors: In private; secretly.
    • The negotiations happened behind closed doors; it was a hush-hush affair.
hush-hush

The meeting about the new project was very hush-hush.

Adjective
  1. conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
    • clandestine intelligence operations
    • cloak-and-dagger activities behind enemy lines
    • hole-and-corner intrigue
    • secret missions
    • a secret agent
    • secret sales of arms
    • surreptitious mobilization of troops
    • an undercover investigation
    • underground resistance

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