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

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

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Salon

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

From Los Angeles Times

In online forums, users explain how to run DeepSeek-R1 on their own devices rather than online using DeepSeek's servers in China - a workaround they believe can protect their data from being shared surreptitiously.

From BBC

These things are not happening to Carrie, though; they are happening to the nameless narrator, surreptitiously titled “the woman.”

From Salon

Related Words

• covertly 
• secretly 
• stealthily