hush-hush

/ˌhʌʃ ˈhʌʃ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌhʌʃ ˈhʌʃ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhəsh-ˌhəsh/ (ame, mw)

hush-hush — adjective

1. deliberately kept private or handled quietly so that other people do not find ou

1.形容詞C1
釋義

deliberately kept private or handled quietly so that other people do not find out about it

例句

The company held a hush-hush meeting in a hotel across town.

collocation: hush-hush meeting

Naoko kept the wedding plans hush-hush until both families arrived.

pattern: keep something hush-hush

同義詞
  • secret

    more general and neutral; it does not carry the same informal tone

  • confidential

    more formal; often used for documents, business matters, or professional information

  • low-profile

    stresses avoiding public attention rather than actively hiding the facts

反義詞
  • open

    handled in a way that people can see or know about

  • public

    known by many people rather than kept within a small group

文法句型

hush-hush + noun

keep something hush-hush

be hush-hush about + noun

用法筆記

Usually used about meetings, plans, deals, talks, or other matters that people intentionally keep out of public view. It is more informal and more conversational than secret or confidential.

常見錯誤

❌The board discussed the merger hush-hush.
✅The board kept the merger hush-hush.
💡Hush-hush is usually an adjective, not an adverb describing how something was discussed.