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surreptitious

[sur-uh p-tish-uh s]
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adjective

obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine: a surreptitious glance.
acting in a stealthy way.
obtained by subreption; subreptitious.

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RELATED WORDS

covert, furtive, hush-hush, unauthorized, clandestine, fraudulent, hidden, private, sly, stealthy, undercover, underhand, veiled, sneaking, hole-and-corner, skulking, slinking, under-the-table

Nearby words

  1. surrebuttal,
  2. surrebutter,
  3. surrejoinder,
  4. surrender,
  5. surrender value,
  6. surrey,
  7. surrogacy,
  8. surrogate,
  9. surrogate mother,
  10. surround

Origin of surreptitious

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin surreptīcius stolen, clandestine, equivalent to surrept(us), past participle of surripere to steal, (sur- sur-2 + rep-, combining form of rapere to snatch, rape1 + -tus past participle suffix) + -īcius -itious
Related formssur·rep·ti·tious·ly, adverbsur·rep·ti·tious·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for surreptitious

British Dictionary definitions for surreptitious

surreptitious

adjective

done, acquired, etc, in secret or by improper means
operating by stealth
characterized by fraud or misrepresentation of the truth
Derived Formssurreptitiously, adverbsurreptitiousness, noun

Word Origin for surreptitious

C15: from Latin surreptīcius furtive, from surripere to steal, from sub- secretly + rapere to snatch
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
Word Origin and History for surreptitious

surreptitious

adj.

mid-15c., from Latin surrepticius "stolen, furtive, clandestine," from surreptus, past participle of surripere "seize secretly," from sub "from under" (hence, "secretly") + rapere "to snatch" (see rapid). Related: Surreptitiously.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper