furtive
Americanadjective
-
taken, done, used, etc., surreptitiously or by stealth; secret.
a furtive glance.
- Synonyms:
- covert, clandestine
-
a furtive manner.
- Synonyms:
- cunning, crafty, underhanded
adjective
Other Word Forms
- furtively adverb
- furtiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of furtive
First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin furtīvus, equivalent to furt(um) “theft” (compare fūr “thief”) + -īvus -ive
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.
Again there was a furtive knock at the side door.
From Literature
It feels furtive, secret, a relic I use to remember and to punish myself.
From Literature
Their celebrations were furtive and short-lived to avoid riot police or other authorities.
From Los Angeles Times
But the celebrations in one Tehran neighborhood were also furtive and short lived to avoid riot police or members of the Basij, a voluntary auxiliary force with the Revolutionary Guards.
From Los Angeles Times
While audiences are focused on one area of the stage, something furtive is happening on another.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
