furtive

[ fur-tiv ]

/ ˈfɜr tɪv /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR furtive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

sly; shifty: a furtive manner.

Words nearby furtive

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

SYNONYMS FOR furtive

1 clandestine, covert.

2 underhand, cunning.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR furtive ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM furtive

fur·tive·ly, adverbfur·tive·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for furtively

Afterward, Oswald develops the photographs at his job, furtively.
The Man Oswald First Tried to Kill Before JFK|Bill Minutaglio, Steven L. Davis|October 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The appeal: they are “judgment-free zones where the like-minded can mingle freely and furtively.”
‘Star Trek’ Dating Websites Cater to Trekkies Looking for Love|Kevin Fallon|May 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
On the night of Feb. 11, 2011, Sherif Mansour walked onto his balcony, furtively lit a cigarette, and began to cry.
Freedom House NGO Worker Returns to Egypt to Face Trial|Mike Giglio|June 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Schon, Michaele once furtively told me, was one of the true loves of her life.
Inside the Salahi Split|Diane Dimond|September 16, 2011|DAILY BEAST

“I think people are furtively hoping that Hillary runs,” she said.
Hillary Told You So|Leslie Bennetts|August 8, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He started crunching the crackers with avidity, eyeing me furtively all the time as I stood at the telephone.
The Red Symbol|John Ironside
He was her creature now, to do with as she chose, I watched her furtively during the next round.
Paradise Garden|George Gibbs
Babies—she could not tell why—made their appearance in this world by stealth, and must be searched for furtively.
Brother Copas|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
To read the morning paper over other people's shoulders—not furtively, but with a bold and open eye.
Working With the Working Woman|Cornelia Stratton Parker
He watched her furtively, asking himself whether she still suffered.
The Hero|William Somerset Maugham

British Dictionary definitions for furtively

furtive

/ (ˈfɜːtɪv) /

adjective

characterized by stealth; sly and secretive

Derived forms of furtive

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

furtive

adjective

Words related to furtive

Words nearby furtive

Origin of furtive

SYNONYMS FOR furtive

OTHER WORDS FROM furtive

Examples from the Web for furtively

British Dictionary definitions for furtively

adjective

Derived forms of furtive

Word Origin for furtive