1
as in shady
given to acting in secret and to concealing one's intentions
a furtive guy who always seems to be up to something, and usually that something is no-good
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clandestine
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others
gave each other furtive glances as we watched our friend open the booby-trapped soda
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of furtive
That’s where Klaus Mann (August Diehl), Thomas’ homosexual Communist son, would end up taking his own life, but a furtive phone call between twin brother and sister reveals both their closeness as well as the fractures in a broken family dynamic.
—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
Some with furtive glances, some outright staring.
—
Ben Mezrich,
Vanity Fair,
6 Apr. 2026
The military can be more furtive about its movements ahead of an operation, taking steps to hide aircraft from detection.
—
Nancy A. Youssef,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
Focusing only on gains also says nothing about the nature of the journeys taken, the process travelers use to convert furtive motion into self-reinvention, and the places that assist or block these quests.
—
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for furtive
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
Some with furtive glances, some outright staring.
—
Ben Mezrich,
Vanity Fair,
6 Apr. 2026
The military can be more furtive about its movements ahead of an operation, taking steps to hide aircraft from detection.
—
Nancy A. Youssef,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
Focusing only on gains also says nothing about the nature of the journeys taken, the process travelers use to convert furtive motion into self-reinvention, and the places that assist or block these quests.
—
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for furtive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for furtive
Adjective
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The weather service also cautions the heat index is calculated for shady areas only.
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That makes these networks valuable for people trying to hide mass scraping, fake ad clicks, account attacks or other shady activity.
Adjective
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That was a concern because other research has indicated the Chinese government has, at times, delayed public disclosure of vulnerabilities submitted to the program so they could later be used in clandestine cyberattacks.
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The screening usually focusses on clandestine hanky-panky, but this season the girls’ irreverence was so abundant that the producers treated them to an unprecedented second viewing night.
Adjective
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Eleanor immediately asked Margaret with a sly look of provocation on her face.
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Unlike the other luxury swimwear brands on this list that pay homage to the silhouettes and style cues of the ‘80s and ‘90s, Miaou’s suits come with a sly sense of humor and color palette straight from the early aughts.
Adjective
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Get Ready: Katy Perry Has Released a Sneak Peek of Her New Song And the internet has receipts.
Adjective
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The company revealed that the Barracuda-class vessel is extremely silent and stealthy particularly mobile, with great endurance.
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His influence on the second goal was less stealthy.
Adjective
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To achieve this, Israel employed airstrikes, cyberattacks, interdictions of weapons and covert action to impede Iran’s ability to resupply Hezbollah’s existing arsenal and supply it with more advanced weapons.
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After 1996, when the protease inhibitors were developed, the duty to warn continued to be an important standard when HIV status became more clinically covert.
Adjective
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From shopping for clothes to nailing Parisian style in the heart of the city itself to snagging groceries to make a meal at your Airbnb, these bags are a sneaky hack to streamline your travel days.
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Bunting and Matthews had sneaky-good chemistry on the ice and off it.
Adjective
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The case stemmed from a 2022 FBI undercover operation where agents posed as real estate developers interested in building a convention center hotel in downtown Jackson, the outlet reported.
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Following her cover story about going undercover as a high school student, Leibrock worked for SN&R a few more years before joining the staff at The Bee.
Cite this Entry
“Furtive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/furtive. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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