surreptitious
Americanadjective
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obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine.
a surreptitious glance.
-
acting in a stealthy way.
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obtained by subreption; subreptitious.
adjective
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done, acquired, etc, in secret or by improper means
-
operating by stealth
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characterized by fraud or misrepresentation of the truth
Other Word Forms
- surreptitiously adverb
- surreptitiousness noun
Etymology
Origin of surreptitious
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin surreptīcius “stolen, clandestine,” equivalent to surrept(us), past participle of surripere “to steal,” ( sur- sur- 2 + rep-, combining form of rapere “to snatch, plunder” ( rape 1 ) + -tus past participle suffix) + -īcius adjective suffix ( -itious )
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.
A surreptitious change of bank details does not bode well for your mother’s estate planning.
From MarketWatch
In a written statement, she claimed "The Mail's Unlawful Acts against me involve landline tapping my phones and recording my live telephone conversations, placing surreptitious mics on my home windows."
From Barron's
She alleges the Mail tapped her landlines and placed "surreptitious mics on my home windows" in an effort to get stories.
From BBC
Cologne is a personal choice, true — but it’s eminently regiftable, after one surreptitious spray, and it’s a luxury that can feel too extravagant to purchase for oneself, especially in a climate of economic uncertainty.
From MarketWatch
Penelope puzzled over these mysteries daily, and had even paid a surreptitious visit or two to the attic while the children were otherwise engaged.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
