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

quietly, clandestinely, surreptitiously, covertly, privately, personally, stealthily, shrewdly, secretly, cunningly, craftily, confidentially, hush-hush, intimately, obscurely, slyly, insidiously, privily, unobserved

Nearby words

further education, furtherance, furthermore, furthermost, furthest, furtive, furtwängler, furuncle, furunculoid, furunculosis, furunculus

Origin of furtive

1480–90; < Latin furtīvus, equivalent to furt(um) theft (compare fūr thief) + -īvus -ive

Related forms

fur·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 furtively

British Dictionary definitions for furtively

furtive

/ (ˈfɜːtɪv) /

adjective

characterized by stealth; sly and secretive

Derived Forms

furtively, 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