surreptitious
obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine: a surreptitious glance.
acting in a stealthy way.
obtained by subreption; subreptitious.
Origin of surreptitious
1Other words from surreptitious
- sur·rep·ti·tious·ly, adverb
- sur·rep·ti·tious·ness, noun
Words Nearby surreptitious
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use surreptitious in a sentence
Last month I turned and faced their surreptitious security: “Catch any thieves today?”
‘Why Have I Lost Control?’: Cory Booker in ’92 on Rodney King Echoes Ferguson | Cory Booker | November 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTStephanie often takes surreptitious photographs of fellow commuters for a not-yet-realized blog.
Leaky Ceilings, Catcalls, and Uncaged Pythons: 4 Hours on NYC’s Worst Subway | Kevin Zawacki | August 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey refused until they had “achieved their surreptitious climax.”
Speed Read: 11 Most Shocking Moments From Pete Townshend’s ‘Who I Am’ | Abby Haglage | October 8, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTBut by 1953, with McCarthyism and the second Red Scare in full swing, the FBI moved from surreptitious research to direct contact.
Grandmother Penny and Mr. Spackles went to the circus in a more or less surreptitious manner.
Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington Kelland
The house was but a small one, with no surreptitious closets or cupboards, or other hiding-places.
Johnny Ludlow, Fourth Series | Mrs. Henry WoodShe took a surreptitious glance at the profile of Captain Goritz.
The Secret Witness | George GibbsIt was his first surreptitious taste of fame on the Atlantic coast, and not without its delight.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete | Albert Bigelow PaineShe reflected quickly that he could not have known anything of her surreptitious trading with the peddler.
Duffels | Edward Eggleston
British Dictionary definitions for surreptitious
/ (ˌsʌrəpˈtɪʃəs) /
done, acquired, etc, in secret or by improper means
operating by stealth
characterized by fraud or misrepresentation of the truth
Origin of surreptitious
1Derived forms of surreptitious
- surreptitiously, adverb
- surreptitiousness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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