Special
Special adjective - Being the one or ones of a class with no other members.
Top secret and special are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Top secret" instead an adjective "Special".
Top secret
Special and top secret are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Special" instead an adjective phrase "Top secret".
Mutual synonyms
Both terms in one sentence
-
Special forces soldiers acting domestically can be justified as being on a top secret missionnote In which case, the 19th or 20th Special Forces Groups would most likely be used as they are part of the National Guard..
Source: Useful Notes / Yanks with Tanks - In order to emphasize just how ridiculously important something is, it is classified as "Above Top Secret." Maybe it has a special name, maybe it doesn't, but the point is that people who thought they were privvy to every secret are...not.
Source: Over-The-Top Secret -
In the Soviet Union of old a real classification like that existed, and is still retained in modern Russia: "Of Special Importance" (Osoboy vazhnosti) is more secret than Top Secret.
Source: Classified Information
Cite this Source
Top secret and Special. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 02, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/special/top_secret
Special & Top secret. N.p., 2016. Web. 02 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/special/top_secret>.
Top secret or Special. 2016. Accessed August 02, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/special/top_secret.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "special" and "top secret" have occurred on timeline