furtive

adjective

fur·​tive ˈfər-tiv How to pronounce furtive (audio)
1
a
: done in a quiet and secretive way to avoid being noticed : surreptitious
a furtive glance
exchanged furtive smiles
b
: expressive of stealth : sly
had a furtive look about him
2
: obtained underhandedly : stolen
furtive gains
furtively adverb
furtiveness noun

Did you know?

Furtive comes from either Latin furtivus or French furtif. The earliest known written uses of furtive are from the early 1600s. When first used in English, furtive meant "done by stealth," and later also came to mean, less commonly, "stolen." Whichever meaning you choose, the word has an elusive ancestry, which is particularly fitting, since a thief must be furtive to avoid getting caught in the act.

Choose the Right Synonym for furtive

secret, covert, stealthy, furtive, clandestine, surreptitious, underhanded mean done without attracting observation.

secret implies concealment on any grounds for any motive.

met at a secret location

covert stresses the fact of not being open or declared.

covert intelligence operations

stealthy suggests taking pains to avoid being seen or heard especially in some misdoing.

the stealthy step of a burglar

furtive implies a sly or cautious stealthiness.

lovers exchanging furtive glances

clandestine implies secrecy usually for an evil, illicit, or unauthorized purpose and often emphasizes the fear of being discovered.

a clandestine meeting of conspirators

surreptitious applies to action or behavior done secretly often with skillful avoidance of detection and in violation of custom, law, or authority.

the surreptitious stockpiling of weapons

underhanded stresses fraud or deception.

an underhanded trick

Examples of furtive in a Sentence

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
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
… 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
He cast a furtive glance in our direction. We exchanged furtive smiles across the table.
Recent Examples on the Web The scents were from whatever the party next to you brought for a picnic dinner, or a furtive puff of marijuana. Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 And yet, Belichick’s Patriots became an omnipresent source of pride, one that was emblematic of how New Englanders like to view themselves: reserved but coolly efficient, innovative, prosperous, industrious and furtive about their methods. Bill Pennington, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2024 The small boy wept upon her furtive departure, never to see her again. Donna M. Owens, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024 She’s accompanied by a furtive guide named Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim). Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2024 There were furtive handoffs of information in the hallways and in the cafeteria. Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2024 Should their actions be of no great consequence, better still; look at Roberto, straining to pull on a sock, or Sol taking a furtive slug of wine and pulling a face. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2024 The third telling focuses on Minato and Yori (Hinata Hiiragi), a classmate with whom Minato has a complicated and furtive relationship. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023 Stone walls offer small mammals porous volumes in which to live their furtive lives. Robert M. Thorson, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'furtive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of furtive was in 1612

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Dictionary Entries Near furtive

Cite this Entry

“Furtive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/furtive. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

furtive

adjective
fur·​tive ˈfərt-iv How to pronounce furtive (audio)
: done in a sneaky or sly manner
a furtive look
furtively adverb
furtiveness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on furtive

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