furtive

[ fur-tiv ]
See synonyms for: furtivefurtivelyfurtiveness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. taken, done, used, etc., surreptitiously or by stealth; secret: a furtive glance.

  2. sly; shifty: a furtive manner.

Origin of furtive

1
First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin furtīvus, equivalent to furt(um) “theft” (compare fūr “thief”) + -īvus -ive

Other words for furtive

Other words from furtive

  • fur·tive·ly, adverb
  • fur·tive·ness, noun

Words Nearby furtive

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How to use furtive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for furtive

furtive

/ (ˈfɜːtɪv) /


adjective
  1. characterized by stealth; sly and secretive

Origin of furtive

1
C15: from Latin furtīvus stolen, clandestine, from furtum a theft, from fūr a thief; related to Greek phōr thief

Derived forms of furtive

  • furtively, adverb
  • furtiveness, noun

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