furtively
Americanadverb
-
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.
-
in a sly or shifty way.
In the next scene, he darts furtively into a pharmacy storeroom to steal poison.
Etymology
Origin of furtively
First recorded in 1490–1500; furtive ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
Explanation
The adverb furtively is great for describing the movements or behavior of someone who's being sneaky or sly. Kids decorating their neighbor's trees with toilet paper on Halloween tend to sneak furtively around the yard. If you do something furtively, you don't want anyone to notice you; you're keeping a low profile. Usually, a person acting furtively feels guilty, or knows they're in danger of getting in trouble or being embarrassed. Furtively comes from the Latin word for "theft," fur. You can think of furtively as meaning "acting like a thief." Even though not everyone who behaves furtively is a thief, you might think they are, seeing them sneak away.
Vocabulary lists containing furtively
A Raisin in the Sun
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The Handmaid's Tale
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Born a Crime
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I spotted one man with a hammer and a flashlight looking furtively around my son’s neighborhood.
From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2025
Bingeing can look different for different people, but for Specter, it involves “shoving food furtively into my mouth as quickly and passively” as possible, she writes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2024
Some at the top of the Labour Party are beginning to think, if a little furtively, of the aftermath of 4 July, too.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2024
As the men entered her home, Ms. Mukantaganda said her husband, a preacher, prayed for her and their two small children and furtively told her where he had hidden some money in case she survived.
From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 2024
Arya glanced furtively across the room, worried that Septa Mordane might have read her thoughts, but the septa was paying her no attention today.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
