definitions

furtive

[ fur-tiv ]
/ ˈfɜr tɪv /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR furtive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

taken, done, used, etc., surreptitiously or by stealth; secret: a furtive glance.
sly; shifty: a furtive manner.

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RELATED WORDS

clandestine, covert, surreptitious, conspiratorial, artful, calculating, cautious, circumspect, crafty, creepy, cunning, disguised, elusive, evasive, foxy, hidden, hush-hush, insidious, masked, scheming

Nearby words

further education, furtherance, furthermore, furthermost, furthest, furtive, furtively, furtwängler, furtwängler, wilhelm, furuncle, furuncular

Origin of furtive

1480–90; < Latin furtīvus, equivalent to furt(um) theft (compare fūr thief) + -īvus -ive
Related formsfur·tive·ly, adverbfur·tive·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for furtive

British Dictionary definitions for furtive

furtive

/ (ˈfɜːtɪv) /

adjective

characterized by stealth; sly and secretive
Derived Formsfurtively, adverbfurtiveness, noun

Word Origin for furtive

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for furtive

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper