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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of furtive
The clip, which shows the dog giving its owner furtive side-eye while cautiously walking by captured the breed's endearing blend of innocence and mischief.
—
Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
The secret-weapon character who makes the more haunting impression is Agnes, whose chignon hides a rebellious spirit underneath — as well as a furtive romance with the stable boy, Isak (Malte Gårdinger).
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
His squirrelly, strained voice was well attuned to the furtive ambivalence of his stage presence.
—Rolling Stone, 16 June 2025
The visual language is nimble, sometimes furtive and obscuring, and then classical and dramatic, recalling the photography of Robert Frank or Roy DeCarava.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for furtive
Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
The secret-weapon character who makes the more haunting impression is Agnes, whose chignon hides a rebellious spirit underneath — as well as a furtive romance with the stable boy, Isak (Malte Gårdinger).
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
His squirrelly, strained voice was well attuned to the furtive ambivalence of his stage presence.
—Rolling Stone, 16 June 2025
The visual language is nimble, sometimes furtive and obscuring, and then classical and dramatic, recalling the photography of Robert Frank or Roy DeCarava.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for furtive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for furtive
Adjective
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In the South, cool-season grasses are often grown in shady areas of the landscape or seeded over Bermuda grass for winter color.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
17 Aug. 2025
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These shady characters are only part of a long list of ne’er-do-wells.—
Norman B. Gildin,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Journaling, secret crushes and clandestine affairs take precedence.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
25 Aug. 2025
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But local leaders had no doubt about the perpetrators, even though the state’s campaign had previously been carried out through public exhortations and directives, not clandestine repaintings.—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Peter Pan is a big part of Alien: Earth, and the differing context of the two pieces of kids entertainment is a sly bit of commentary on childhood, arrested development, and storytelling tropes.—
James Grebey,
Time,
21 Aug. 2025
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Its power rests in Benicio del Toro as the shady international businessman Anatole Korda, a sly, seductive operator who is trying to firm up his many enterprises and bequeath them to his daughter, Liesl, played marvelously by Mia Threapleton.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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Though the area looks like a deep-sea Barbie wonderland to human eyes, these creatures are actually clad in stealthy camouflage.—
Ashley Balzer Vigil,
Scientific American,
22 Aug. 2025
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This stealthy switch to short-term debt puts a ceiling on long-term yields.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Initially, Moscow opted to provide covert assistance to the rebels in the form of advice and financial support, but its involvement grew steadily more militarized.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
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The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, claims Otter's covert recording violates state and federal privacy and wiretap laws.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Micky van de Ven’s goal, the opener on 39 minutes, came from a sneaky tactic which saw his new captain, and fellow centre-back, Cristian Romero peel towards the edge of the box and head the ball back into a dangerous area from Vicario’s free kick.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
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As his August 10 home run illustrated, Collins has some sneaky pop in his bat.—
Bernie Pleskoff,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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He is aided by Yasir Abbas, a weapons specialist; Raghuveer Singh, a sniper who served in Kashmir and Tawang; Uday Bhan, an explosives expert; and Sukhbir Singh, an Indian agent undercover in Pakistan posing as a Karachi stockbroker.—
Time,
Time,
13 Aug. 2025
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Wednesday’s hearing before Magistrate Judge Shannon G. Elkins in downtown Minneapolis focused on several motions from Eichorn, including one to drop the charges and for the defense to be able to call the undercover officer who posed as a 17-year-old girl to testify.—
Mary Murphy,
Twin Cities,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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However, Miller’s shifty route running might be a match with Rodgers.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
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Renfrow, when on the field, has been hard to cover, as he is both shifty and quick in his routes.—
Mike Kaye
August 4,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Furtive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/furtive. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025.
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