sub rosa
/ˌsʌbˈroʊzə/
adjective
- Done or made in secret; confidential.
- The sub-rosa agreement between the two companies was never made public.
- There were sub-rosa negotiations happening behind the scenes.
- The sub-rosa nature of the deal raised suspicions among regulators.
adverb
- In secret; confidentially; privately.
- They met sub-rosa in a hidden room to plan the surprise party.
- The committee discussed the proposal sub-rosa to avoid public controversy.
- The journalist received the information sub-rosa from an anonymous source.