furtive
[fur-tiv]
- taken, done, used, etc., surreptitiously or by stealth; secret: a furtive glance.
- sly; shifty: a furtive manner.
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Origin of furtive
Synonyms
See more synonyms for furtive on Thesaurus.com1. clandestine, covert. 2. underhand, cunning.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for furtive
Contemporary Examples
He fancied himself a Marxist, lived in rooming houses under aliases and was a furtive, nasty man.
Here is real, unmistakable nastiness of a fetid, furtive kind, whispered in corners after a cautious glance over the shoulder.
The handwriting clearly belonged to an unstable, conniving, furtive, shallow creep.
And it is Mark and Scott—not “Chad and Ted”—who partake of cigarettes and “furtive man-on-man action.”
Best New York Times Corrections Ever: 'The Shining,' Twilight Sparkle & MoreJosh Dzieza
February 3, 2012
Sanger turned birth control from a furtive, underground pursuit into an international movement.
Historical Examples
And in the low bushes could be discerned the lurking, furtive, shadowy jackals.
The Leopard WomanStewart Edward White
Told under the breath, with furtive glances to right and to left.
The Leopard WomanStewart Edward White
How noisy and romping the brook was; how capricious, how playful, how furtive!
A Little Book of Profitable TalesEugene Field
The pink plump face was contorted in a furtive grimace of deprecation.
The Black BagLouis Joseph Vance
I stayed with her, casting displeased and furtive glances at the Prince.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
furtive
- characterized by stealth; sly and secretive
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Word Origin
C15: from Latin furtīvus stolen, clandestine, from furtum a theft, from fūr a thief; related to Greek phōr thief
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for furtive
adj.
late 15c. (implied in furtively), from French furtif, from Latin furtivus "stolen, hidden, secret," from furtum "theft, robbery," from fur (genitive furis) "thief," probably from PIE *bhor-, from root *bher- (1) "to carry" (see infer). Related: Furtiveness.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper