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Synonyms

surreptitious

American  
[sur-uhp-tish-uhs] / ˌsɜr əpˈtɪʃ əs /

adjective

  1. obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine.

    a surreptitious glance.

  2. acting in a stealthy way.

  3. obtained by subreption; subreptitious.

surreptitious British  
/ ˌsʌrəpˈtɪʃəs /

adjective

  1. done, acquired, etc, in secret or by improper means

  2. operating by stealth

  3. characterized by fraud or misrepresentation of the truth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • surreptitiously adverb
  • surreptitiousness noun

Etymology

Origin of surreptitious

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin surreptīcius “stolen, clandestine,” equivalent to surrept(us), past participle of surripere “to steal,” ( sur- sur- 2 + rep-, combining form of rapere “to snatch, plunder” ( rape 1 ) + -tus past participle suffix) + -īcius adjective suffix ( -itious )

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.