clandestine

American  

[klan-des-tin] / klænˈdɛs tɪn /

adjective

1. characterized by, done in, or executed with secrecy or concealment, especially for purposes of subversion or deception; private or surreptitious.

   Their clandestine meetings went undiscovered for two years.

   Synonyms:

   illicit, confidential, underhand, hidden

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clandestine British  

/ klænˈdɛstɪn /

adjective

1. secret and concealed, often for illicit reasons; furtive

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Other Word Forms

• clandestinely adverb
• clandestineness noun
• clandestinity noun
• unclandestinely adverb

Etymology

Origin of clandestine

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin clandestīnus, from clamde, clande (unrecorded) (variant of clam “secretly” + -de, adverb particle) + -stīnus (probably after intestīnus “internal”; intestine )

Example Sentences

The clandestine artisanal miners, many from neighbouring countries, have become an entrenched presence in the shantytowns that ring Johannesburg and its satellite settlements along the gold reef.

From Barron's

More recent departees often take clandestine overland routes into Colombia or Brazil or risked the dangerous journey across the Darien Gap into Central America on their way north.

From Los Angeles Times

At the end of Friday's episode, the traitors had been given the opportunity to unmask the secret traitor if they completed a clandestine task.

From BBC

“I had not actually seen Rasoulof’s film because when we make films clandestinely, we don’t talk about them, even with our close friends,” he explains.

From Los Angeles Times

On Dec. 15, the EU sanctioned two rival oil traders it accused of playing a major role in the clandestine Russian energy market.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• covert
• fraudulent
• furtive
• hidden
• hush-hush
• illicit
• surreptitious
• underground