covertly

[koh-vert-lee, koh-vert-]

adverb

1. in a way that is concealed or disguised; secretly.

   The witness alleges that the FBI asked him to covertly record conversations with his boss in a bid to tie him to a criminal hacking conspiracy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of covertly¹

covert ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

So many modern films and television shows made for children lure them into their worlds with smooth, fluid animation, using the stylistic softness to covertly impart some important lessons.

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Later, the U.S. government didn’t stop a military coup in Brazil, helped dissidents assassinate the leader of the Dominican Republic and covertly supported the insurgent contras in Nicaragua, leading to the Iran-Contra scandal.

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The Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in 2023, but some conservatives have said they suspect schools are using proxies like applicant essays to covertly boost diversity.

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Lawyers for the claimants successfully argued that new evidence had come to light, and they did not know how information was being covertly acquired at the time.

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Inevitably, it became clear that to get a true picture of the culture inside the station, Rory would have to spend time covertly recording conversations outside it - in pubs where officers regularly socialised with colleagues.

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Related Words

• clandestinely www.thesaurus.com
• secretly 
• surreptitiously