stealthy

[stel-thee]

adjective

stealthier, stealthiest 

1. done, characterized, or acting by stealth; furtive.

   stealthy footsteps.

ˈstealthy

/ ˈstɛlθɪ /

adjective

1. characterized by great caution, secrecy, etc; furtive

Other Word Forms

• stealthily adverb
• stealthiness noun
• unstealthiness noun
• unstealthy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stealthy¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; stealth + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Israeli officials are worried that sales to the kingdom would open the door to others, such as Turkey, that have made clear their aspirations for the stealthy and highly networked plane.

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So Beejee kept walking, not realizing that Michael was still behind him— stealthy, like the stray cats he loved so much.

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The stealthy submarine—which is difficult to detect because it can stay underwater continuously for long periods—won’t be deployed by South Korea’s navy any time soon.

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Traffickers deploy everything from fast-moving fiberglass boats to stealthy “narco-subs” to cargo ships to get their products to users without losing shipments to seizures or couriers to arrest.

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It has also gone on a stealthy land grab and controls a large chunk of a region it calls the Western Haynesville.

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Related Words

• crafty