surreptitious

[ sur-uh p-tish-uh s ]
/ ˌsɜr əpˈtɪʃ əs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR surreptitious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

QUIZZES

FOR POSTERITY’S SAKE, TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Are words your bailiwick? Take the latest quiz on the words from July 6 to July 12 to find out.
Question 1 of 7
bailiwick
a creature, variously described as a serpent, lizard, or dragon, said to kill by its breath or look.
place or source of origin.
a person's area of skill, knowledge, authority, or work.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

OTHER WORDS FROM surreptitious

sur·rep·ti·tious·ly, adverbsur·rep·ti·tious·ness, noun

Words nearby surreptitious

surrebuttal, surrebutter, surrejoinder, surrender, surrender value, surreptitious, surrey, surrogacy, surrogate, surrogate mother, surround
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to surreptitious

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

Example sentences from the Web for surreptitious

British Dictionary definitions for surreptitious

surreptitious
/ (ˌsʌrəpˈtɪʃəs) /

adjective

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

Derived forms of surreptitious

surreptitiously, 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