furtive

[ fur-tiv ]

adjective

1. taken, done, used, etc., surreptitiously or by stealth; secret:

   a furtive glance.

   Synonyms: covert, clandestine

2. sly; shifty:

   a furtive manner.

   Synonyms: cunning, crafty, underhanded

furtive

/ ˈfɜːtɪv /

adjective

1. characterized by stealth; sly and secretive

Derived Forms

• ˈfurtiveness, noun
• ˈfurtively, adverb

Other Words From

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of furtive¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of furtive¹

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

Example Sentences

Few vehicles brave the abandoned boulevards; those that do move in furtive dashes: They barrel down the road, slow near the still-smoking ruins of a freshly struck building, then race away.

From Los Angeles Times

Not exactly a secret, my complicated thoughts and feelings about my deeply personal connection to New York’s darkest day had always registered internally as something furtive.

From Salon

His constant furtive glances keep us questioning who this lithe young lad really is, to others and especially to himself.

From Los Angeles Times

The arrests underscored fears of the Kremlin’s furtive network in the West and its use of foreign nationals, including violent criminals and soccer hooligans, to terrify or possibly even kill opponents sheltering abroad.

From New York Times

There was no longer any need for a psychopath to be furtive about his dastardly designs.

From Salon

Related Words

• clandestine
• conspiratorial
• covert
• surreptitious