surreptitiously

[sur-uhp-tish-uhs-lee]

adverb

1. in a secret or unauthorized way; stealthily.

   After it surreptitiously installs itself on a user's phone, the spyware program can steal credit card numbers, passwords, and other personal information.

Word History and Origins

Origin of surreptitiously¹

First recorded in 1580–90; surreptitious ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

His innovation, as I am far from the first to observe, is to do publicly what his predecessors have done surreptitiously.

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Firstly, a recording, especially one done surreptitiously, is not a legal document.

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Was it the night when, despite my atrial fibrillation, I went for broke and surreptitiously swallowed a half-dose of generic Viagra?

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The film preaches that message, while “Peacemaker” surreptitiously places the audience inside its version of a “What If . . .” simulation.

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After letting him in, she surreptitiously recorded the deputy standing in her living room, talking to her children.

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Related Words

• covertly 
• secretly 
• stealthily