furtively

[fur-tiv-lee]

adverb

1. in a surreptitious, secret, or stealthy way.

   For decades, people living under Soviet censorship listened furtively to the news from the free world beamed by Radio Free Europe or the Voice of America.

   Moonshine is untaxed liquor, furtively produced by the light of the moon—or at least out of the immediate reach of law enforcement.

2. in a sly or shifty way.

   In the next scene, he darts furtively into a pharmacy storeroom to steal poison.

Word History and Origins

Origin of furtively¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; furtive ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

She glanced furtively at the closed door and lowered her voice.

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No one who watched is likely to forget Rubio’s awkward stare as he furtively reached for a water bottle, cementing his reputation as the thirstiest man in the U.S.

Read more on Salon

John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert, the attorney general—how’s that for independence!—furtively directed the Internal Revenue Service to audit right-wing radio personalities who criticized the administration.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Indeed, students spoke furtively of the dark arts of circumvention.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I spotted one man with a hammer and a flashlight looking furtively around my son’s neighborhood.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• clandestinely www.thesaurus.com
• covertly 
• personally 
• privately www.thesaurus.com
• quietly 
• stealthily 
• surreptitiously