furtive

fur·tive

adjective \ˈfər-tiv\

Definition of FURTIVE

1

a : done by stealth : surreptitious

b : expressive of stealth : sly <had a furtive look about him>

2

: obtained underhandedly : stolen

— fur·tive·ly adverb

— fur·tive·ness noun

Examples of FURTIVE

1. He cast a furtive glance in our direction.
2. We exchanged furtive smiles across the table.
3. This means that they need use only quantum mechanics or only general relativity and can, with a furtive glance, shrug off the barking admonition of the other. —Brian Greene, The Elegant Universe, 1999
4. Fall's pleasures were furtive, risky, short-lived-buckeye fights, … the endless recipes for the apples Mrs. Railsbeck asked him to fetch from the cobwebbed crate in the basement. —Stewart O'Nan, The Names of the Dead, 1996
5. … it made Shepherd look furtive, wary, hunted—as if the photographer had shot him against his will, in the act of slamming the door. —Helen Garner, The First Stone, 1995

Origin of FURTIVE

French or Latin; French furtif, from Latin furtivus, from furtum theft, from fur thief, from or akin to Greek phōr thief; akin to Greek pherein to carry — more at bear

First Known Use: 1612

Related to FURTIVE

Synonyms

sneaky, shady, shifty, slippery, sly, sneaking, stealthy

Antonyms

open, overt, public

Related Words

artful, crafty, cunning, devious, foxy, guileful, slick, wily; close, closemouthed, reticent, secretive; clandestine, covert, dark; deceitful, deceiving, deceptive, devious, duplicitous, trickish, tricky, underhand, underhanded; cheating, crooked, defrauding, dishonest, dissembling, double-dealing, knavish, two-faced; lying, mendacious, untrustworthy, untruthful; insidious, perfidious, serpentine, treacherous

Near Antonyms

aboveboard, forthright, plainspoken, straightforward; candid, direct, foursquare, frank, open, plain; honest, trustworthy, truthful

See Synonym Discussion at secret