furtively

[ fur-tiv-lee ]

adverb

1. in a surreptitious, secret, or stealthy way:

   For decades, people living under Soviet censorship listened furtively to the news from the free world beamed by Radio Free Europe or the Voice of America.

   Moonshine is untaxed liquor, furtively produced by the light of the moon—or at least out of the immediate reach of law enforcement.

2. in a sly or shifty way:

   In the next scene, he darts furtively into a pharmacy storeroom to steal poison.

Word History and Origins

Origin of furtively¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; furtive ( def ) + -ly ( def )

Example Sentences

Bingeing can look different for different people, but for Specter, it involves “shoving food furtively into my mouth as quickly and passively” as possible, she writes.

From Los Angeles Times

Some at the top of the Labour Party are beginning to think, if a little furtively, of the aftermath of 4 July, too.

From BBC

As the men entered her home, Ms. Mukantaganda said her husband, a preacher, prayed for her and their two small children and furtively told her where he had hidden some money in case she survived.

From New York Times

She recalls at age 11 furtively trying on her mother’s underwear and dress, then widening her eyes and softening her mouth, as she thought a girl might.

From Los Angeles Times

When the boys reached the woods on the edge of their backyard, they looked around furtively and ducked in.

From Literature

Related Words

• clandestinely
• covertly
• personally
• privately
• quietly
• stealthily
• surreptitiously