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adjective B1 Intermediate Common

hidden

HIHD-n
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Hidden (adjective) means Kept out of sight; not easily noticed or found. Example: “There's a hidden compartment under the floorboards.”

adjective
1
Kept out of sight; not easily noticed or found.
"hidden treasure; hidden talents"
"There's a hidden compartment under the floorboards."
"The contract had a hidden fee buried in the fine print."
"One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains. Isolating a city’s effluent and shipping it away in underground sewers has probably saved more lives than any medical procedure except vaccination." — , It's a gas (2014)
"The children found a hidden path behind the old garden wall."

How to use hidden

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDescribes something concealed or not obvious at first glance.

Common pairings
hidden fee hidden meaning hidden away
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Word forms

Plural
hiddens
Comparative
more hidden
Superlative
most hidden
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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

There's a _____ compartment under the floorboards.

Etymology

Formed from "hide" plus the past-participle ending "-en."

Related words

Rhymes for hidden

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Frequently asked questions

What does “hidden” mean?
The word “hidden” means kept out of sight; not easily noticed or found. In plain terms, describes something concealed or not obvious at first glance.
How do you pronounce “hidden”?
“Hidden” is pronounced HIHD-n (/ˈhɪd.(ə)n/ in IPA).
How do you use “hidden” in a sentence?
Here is “hidden” used in a sentence: “There's a hidden compartment under the floorboards.”
What is another word for “hidden”?
Words with a similar meaning to “hidden” include covered, concealed, dark, dern, invisible and inward.
What is the opposite of “hidden”?
The opposite of “hidden” — its antonyms — are apparent, overt, open and visible.
What part of speech is “hidden”?
“Hidden” is an adjective.
Is “hidden” a common word?
“Hidden” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
What is the difference between hidden and concealed?
They are very close in meaning and often interchangeable. Hidden simply means out of sight or hard to find, and can happen by accident or on purpose. Concealed almost always implies a deliberate effort to keep something from being seen, so it sounds slightly more intentional and formal than hidden does.
What is the opposite of hidden?
The most direct opposites are "visible," "exposed," and "revealed." Something hidden is out of sight, while something visible is in plain view. Related opposites include "open," "obvious," and "on display," depending on the context; for a secret, "known" or "public" may be the more natural contrast.
What is an example of something hidden?
Everyday examples include a spare key hidden under a doormat, a hidden compartment in a drawer, or a secret message concealed within a letter. The word also applies to things that are not physically covered but easy to miss, such as hidden fees in a contract or a hidden meaning in a poem.

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