Phrase guide

sub rosa

adj · adv · noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌsʌb ˈɹəʊzə/
  • General-American: /ˌsʌb ˈɹoʊzə/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Carried out confidentially or secretly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: behind the scenes, under the rose, under the table, abstruse, catlike, backroom, stealth, clandestine, cloak-and-dagger, concealed, confidential, covert, deep-laid, dern, disguised, furtive, huggermugger, hush-hush, inconspicuous, incognito, low profile, lurksome, lurky, mousy, obfuscated, off-the-books, on the down-low, on the sly, secret, secretive, slinky, sly, sneaky, stealthy, sub rosa, surreptitious, under-the-table, under the radar, under wraps, undercover, underground, unperceived

Antonyms: above-board, open, public

2

adj

Meaning 2

Not formally stated; implicit, tacit, unspoken.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: explicit, expressed, spoken

3

adv

Meaning 3

Covertly or in secret; confidentially, privately, secretly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • They held the meeting sub rosa.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: behind the scenes, under the rose, under the table

Antonyms: above-board, openly, publicly

4

noun

Meaning 4

Covert surveillance video used as evidence against applicants for workers' compensation to show they are not in fact (seriously) injured.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, slang, uncountable

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adverb

Meaning 5

in secret or covertly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • held a meeting sub rosa to avoid general criticism

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

PIE word *upó The adverb and adjective are an unadapted borrowing from Late Latin sub rosā (literally “under the rose”), from Latin sub (“beneath, under”) + rosa (“rose”) (possibly from Ancient Greek ῥόδον (rhódon, “rose”), ultimately from Proto-Iranian *wardah (“flower; rose”) and Proto-Indo-European *Hwerdh-, possibly a metathesis of *h1lewdh- (“to grow; to rise”)). The reason for the reference to a rose is uncertain, though it has been suggested that it derives from the Ancient Greek myth that Aphrodite (the goddess of love) gave a rose to her son Eros (the god of love and sex), who in turn gave it to Harpocrates (the god of silence, confidentiality, and secrets) to ensure that Aphrodite’s sexual indiscretions were not revealed. Roses thus became a symbol of secrecy—they were, for example, used at meetings to pledge the participants not to disclose what had been discussed. Compare under the rose which is attested earlier. The noun is derived from the adverb and adjective.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: kulissientakainen — carried out confidentially or secretly
  • Finnish: salaa kuvattu video — covert surveillance video used as evidence against applicants for workers’ compensation