Secretive means inclined to keep things hidden. A secretive man, secretive about it, a secretive organisation.
It describes a habit rather than a single act, and it is mildly disapproving — being secretive suggests hiding more than the situation requires. It applies to people and to institutions. Note the difference from secret, which describes the thing hidden, and from private, which is neutral about the same behaviour: a private person keeps their own counsel and a secretive one is thought to be concealing something.
1adjectivesecretiveInclined to keep things hidden.
“He became very secretive, locking his phone and leaving the room to take calls.”
secretive is a quality of concealment.
Middle English secretife is secret plus -ive, from Latin secretus, set apart — se plus cernere, to separate. Discern, certain and secretary come from the same separating.
Middle English
secretife
English, today
secretive
From Middle English secretife, equivalent to secret + -ive.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA