stealthily

American

[stel-thi-lee] / ˈstɛl θɪ li /

adverb

in a way that is secret and quietly careful; furtively or surreptitiously.

Three shadowed figures could be seen creeping stealthily from the boathouse.
Orange and black stripes flashed through the trees as the tiger stealthily approached some spotted deer.

Other Word Forms

unstealthily adverb

Etymology

Origin of stealthily

stealthy ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

If you move stealthily, you do not want to be seen or felt. A cat moves stealthily when it approaches a mouse. Stealthily is the adverb form of stealth: Think stealth bomber, that miraculous, if flawed, creation of the American military that was supposed to escape detection, including being nearly invisible on radar. We often think of hunters as moving stealthily. They sneak up on their prey, soundlessly. Originally, the word implied that you were looking to rob or steal something, which makes sense: this term is all about being secretive and undetected. Clumsy people have trouble doing things stealthily.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing stealthily

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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.

The mother ignored the order and stealthily took her daughter’s body away.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026

When the autumnal Second Quintet began, the two eloquent Philharmonic violas were ready to stealthily underscore a work of profound lyric restraint.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025

Evidence at trial showed that NSO Group reverse-engineered WhatsApp code to stealthily install spyware targeting users, according to the ruling.

From Barron's • Oct. 18, 2025

Every month, you stealthily realize you’re in the process of losing more and more.

From Salon • Sep. 30, 2024

They sent the cunning Hermes to his assistance, who contrived stealthily by night to get him out of his prison.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023