Synonym Chooser

How is the word clandestine distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of clandestine are covert, furtive, secret, stealthy, surreptitious, and underhanded. While all these words mean "done without attracting observation," clandestine implies secrecy usually for an evil, illicit, or unauthorized purpose and often emphasizes the fear of being discovered.

a clandestine meeting of conspirators

When is it sensible to use covert instead of clandestine?

The words covert and clandestine can be used in similar contexts, but covert stresses the fact of not being open or declared.

covert intelligence operations

When might furtive be a better fit than clandestine?

While the synonyms furtive and clandestine are close in meaning, furtive implies a sly or cautious stealthiness.

lovers exchanging furtive glances

Where would secret be a reasonable alternative to clandestine?

In some situations, the words secret and clandestine are roughly equivalent. However, secret implies concealment on any grounds for any motive.

met at a secret location

When can stealthy be used instead of clandestine?

Although the words stealthy and clandestine have much in common, stealthy suggests taking pains to avoid being seen or heard especially in some misdoing.

the stealthy step of a burglar

When is surreptitious a more appropriate choice than clandestine?

The meanings of surreptitious and clandestine largely overlap; however, 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

When could underhanded be used to replace clandestine?

While in some cases nearly identical to clandestine, underhanded stresses fraud or deception.

an underhanded trick

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clandestine The second North Korean nuclear crisis broke out in October 2002, when the United States accused Pyongyang of operating a clandestine uranium-enrichment program that violated the 1994 Agreed Framework. Shuxian Luo, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2025 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 The mayor of New Orleans has been indicted on charges stemming from an alleged scheme to use over $70,000 of city funds to keep up a clandestine relationship with a bodyguard, new court filings show. Michael Loria, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025 Party leaders could reveal what their rivals were cooking up and reporters could penetrate clandestine deal-making through sources. Dan Walters, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for clandestine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clandestine
Adjective
  • Cameron Crowe researched what would become his debut script by going undercover as a high school student for a full year in what can only be described as a 21 Jump Street stunt.
    Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Further, this legislation is unnecessary if it is truly intended to apply to undercover officers.
    Charles Champion, Oc Register, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Moreover, the lobster boat and the Mako were covert FBI assets carefully disguised as legitimate smuggling vessels.
    Martin Suarez, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2025
  • If compromised, malicious radios inside them could be used for simultaneous outages or covert data collection, the FHWA warned.
    Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Korean Central News Agency/AP What To Know North Korea has conducted six underground nuclear tests since 2006, the most recent in 2017.
    Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Around a million years ago, a sinkhole opened, turning the Cedar Creek waterway into an underground river.
    Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Get Ready: Katy Perry Has Released a Sneak Peek of Her New Song And the internet has receipts.
    Mehera Bonner, Marie Claire, 15 Mar. 2017
Adjective
  • The executives were able to meet with Pope Leo in a private audience that included others, according to a person familiar with the matter.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 12 Sep. 2025
  • This is the web version of Term Sheet, a daily newsletter on the biggest deals and dealmakers in venture capital and private equity.
    Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • When one fan posted a surreptitious photo of Sudeikis and Hunt hanging out at a bar, commenters warned them to not share the location.
    Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2025
  • These, though, have generally either been surreptitious efforts or ones that the White House has attempted strenuously to legally justify.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Clandestine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clandestine. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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