stealth

[ stelth ]

noun

1. secret, clandestine, or surreptitious procedure.
2. a furtive departure or entrance.
3. Obsolete.
   1. an act of stealing; theft.
   2. the thing stolen; booty.
4. Stealth, Military. a U.S. Air Force project involving a range of technologies, with the purpose of developing aircraft that are difficult to detect by sight, sound, radar, and infrared energy.

adjective

1. not openly acknowledged; surreptitious; secret:

   They used underhand methods such as the stealth hiring of a competitor's CEO.

   Spending cuts are the stealth issue of this presidential race.

2. (of a transgender person) living as a cisgender member of one's identified gender, without revealing that one is transgender:

   For some transgender people, being stealth may be the safest option.

stealth

¹

/ stɛlθ /

noun

1. the act or characteristic of moving with extreme care and quietness, esp so as to avoid detection

   the stealth of a cat

2. cunning or underhand procedure or dealing
3. archaic.
   the act of stealing

Stealth

²

/ stɛlθ /

noun

1. informal.
   modifier denoting or referring to technology that aims to reduce the radar, thermal, and acoustic recognizability of aircraft and missiles

Derived Forms

• ˈstealthful, adjective

Other Words From

• stealth·ful adjective
• stealth·ful·ly adverb
• stealth·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stealth¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English stelthe, stelth; compare Old English stælthing “theft”; steal, -th ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of stealth¹

C13 stelthe ; see steal , -th ¹

Example Sentences

When Cerebras first came out of stealth last year, the company said it could significantly speed up the training of deep learning models.

From Singularity Hub 

In two years, the Cardinals have transformed from humiliation to stealth Super Bowl threat.

From Washington Post

Statespace launched out of stealth in 2017 with a product called Aim Lab.

From TechCrunch

I can’t think of any other multiplayer experience that put so many resources into building a compelling stealth experience to play with friends.

From Washington Post

The pressure you put on an area depends in part on your stealth and on the species you’re targeting, though Cobbs says environmental factors—temperature, rain, barometric pressure—seem to affect fish more than human pressure.

From Popular-Science

Another senior Air Force official with stealth fighter experience agreed.

From The Daily Beast

High flying and fast, the F-22 Raptor stealth jet is by far the most lethal fighter America has ever built.

From The Daily Beast

That means it could take several missile shots to kill an enemy fighter, even for an advanced stealth aircraft like the Raptor.

From The Daily Beast

The Chinese military has a new stealth jet, but what messages are they sending as it is prepared for active service?

From The Daily Beast

Think advanced unmanned vehicles, all-aspect, broadband stealth, and undersea warfare.

From The Daily Beast

Nonjurors and Scotch Episcopalians could only meet by stealth in private houses.

From Project Gutenberg

Then why these secret messages, and the gold thread, and the gardener's child's coat to be got by stealth?

From Project Gutenberg

But when Peter the Hermit took flight by stealth, the whole army raged in despair.

From Project Gutenberg

And, as for the other band, these shall advance with stealth upon the open and hide behind the rocks.

From Project Gutenberg

The older men visited their homes on "leave of absence," (p. 027) the younger by stealth at night.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Stealth

What does stealth mean?

Stealth is a specific way of acting or moving that is intended to be secret or of avoiding detection, as in The cat used its stealth to sneak up on the unsuspecting mouse. 

Stealth is also used to describe something that is secret or is trying to avoid detection, as in The thieves organized a stealth meeting, away from the watchful eyes of the detectives.

The adjectives stealthful and stealthy are used to describe something that uses stealth, as in The stealthy fox managed to avoid getting caught by the farmer’s dogs. 

Stealthily and stealthfully are used to describe something done with stealth, as in Santa Claus stealthily slipped the Christmas presents into the stockings to avoid waking the children.  

Example: The spy used cunning and stealth to sneak into the embassy and smuggle out the documents. 

Where does stealth come from?

The first records of stealth come from around 1200. It comes from Middle English stelthe or stelth and is related to the Old English stælthing, meaning “theft.” Stealth used to mean “theft” or the act of stealing, but this usage is now considered obsolete.

In popular culture, stealth is often an important quality for sneaky persons, such as spies, thieves, secret agents, and ninjas. Often, these crafty people have fancy gadgets or technology that allow them to avoid detection and enhance their stealth. In gaming, a character will often have a “stealth skill” to express how good (or bad) they are at sneaking around and avoiding getting found by enemies.

In real life, stealth is equally important for people or things that are trying to avoid being caught. For example, stealth jets and similar aircraft are designed to be difficult to see against the sky or to avoid radar equipment.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to stealth?

• stealthful (adjective)
• stealthily (adverb)
• stealthless (adjective)

What are some synonyms for stealth?

• covertness
• furtiveness
• slyness

What are some words that share a root or word element with stealth? 

• steal
• stealthy

What are some words that often get used in discussing stealth?

• detection
• covert
• mission
• operation

How is stealth used in real life?

Stealth is a commonly used word to describe attempts at avoiding detection or being sneaky.

Is there any article to read about how Submarines use stealth tech? I wanna read about it.

— अंकित जैन (@indiantweeter) September 15, 2020

I turn into a master of stealth when I see someone I recognize.

— Matt Nedostup (@nedostup) June 15, 2015

When I was 10 I used to want to be a secret agent so bad I snuck into my kitchen at 4am and made pancakes just to test my stealth skills

— Jimmy Tatro (@JimmyTatro) July 3, 2013

Try using stealth!

Which of the following words would NOT be a synonym of stealth?

A. covertness
B. furtiveness
C. openness
D. slyness