covert

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word covert distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of covert are clandestine, furtive, secret, stealthy, surreptitious, and underhanded. While all these words mean "done without attracting observation," covert stresses the fact of not being open or declared.

covert intelligence operations

When could clandestine be used to replace covert?

The meanings of clandestine and covert largely overlap; however, clandestine implies secrecy usually for an evil, illicit, or unauthorized purpose and often emphasizes the fear of being discovered.

a clandestine meeting of conspirators

Where would furtive be a reasonable alternative to covert?

The words furtive and covert can be used in similar contexts, but furtive implies a sly or cautious stealthiness.

lovers exchanging furtive glances

When is secret a more appropriate choice than covert?

While in some cases nearly identical to covert, secret implies concealment on any grounds for any motive.

met at a secret location

When is it sensible to use stealthy instead of covert?

The words stealthy and covert are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, stealthy suggests taking pains to avoid being seen or heard especially in some misdoing.

the stealthy step of a burglar

In what contexts can surreptitious take the place of covert?

In some situations, the words surreptitious and covert are roughly equivalent. 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 might underhanded be a better fit than covert?

While the synonyms underhanded and covert are close in meaning, 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 covert
Adjective
Up until that point, Colombia had been a proxy for the United States in the region, like a sentinel state, and any plan to run a covert operation in Venezuela [to help oust Maduro] probably could have used Colombia’s support. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2025 Immigration advocates have also decried the provisions permitting states to bring lawsuits against the federal government as a covert attempt to let conservative governors and state attorneys general dictate federal migrant detention policies. Karoun Demirjian, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
The main plot involves Ragnar, the kid whose helmet ceremony was interrupted in the season’s opening scene, being abducted by a dragon that has been bedeviling the covert for a while. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2023 The return to Mando’s covert was even better, as Bo-Katan is also welcomed to walk The Way alongside them, much to her surprise (and conflicted feelings). Erik Kain, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for covert 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for covert
Adjective
  • Spend the day exploring secluded sand dunes, collecting seashells or climbing to the top of Old Baldy, the state’s oldest lighthouse, for breathtaking views of the Atlantic.
    Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 6 Feb. 2025
  • While its housing market is competitive, with only a couple dozen homes currently available, all of them priced over one million dollars, the family-friendly community’s most expensive home on the market is a secluded estate spread across more than 10 acres and asking for $25 million.
    Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The hardline group does not allow girls to study beyond grade six, and so the project runs classes online, through the radio and even has a network of clandestine schools that educate over 5,000 girls across Afghanistan and employ over 100 teachers.
    Diaa Hadid, NPR, 3 Feb. 2025
  • Born in Poland in 1920, Karol Józef Wojtyła attended clandestine seminaries and frequented groups of intellectuals who met in secret to discuss ways of undermining Communism from within.
    Yvonnick Denoël, airmail.news, 1 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Although scout spies can be costly, players can refill them by finding hideouts scattered around the world.
    Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Agents of Sabotage is no different, adding meaningful upgrades with a new hideout in the Darnell Bros Garment Factory.
    Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Around the world, millions of acres of orange trees have succumbed, and in the past 20 years, production in Florida’s storied orange groves, which once supplied the majority of America’s juice, has declined 92 percent.
    Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2025
  • One notable casualty is the Andrew McNally House, a rambling Queen Anne Victorian that once stood alone amid citrus groves in Altadena.
    Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • What to expect: An Italian-Creole seafood restaurant by day and a speakeasy by night, this hidden gem is in West Town, which seems to be the new hot restaurant district.
    Moyo Adeolu, Axios, 7 Feb. 2025
  • In addition to the bathroom, Dutton had placed a hidden camera near the pool in the backyard, officials said.
    Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • This time, Reacher must help rescue an undercover DEA informant while confronting his own haunted past, according to Prime Video.
    Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2025
  • Unaware that Kelso was an undercover brother, Torres is at the bar trying to talk Lenny into getting him in touch with Wilk.
    Sara Netzley, EW.com, 4 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The infected spiders leave their usual webbed lairs, move to more open spaces, and ultimately die while clinging to cave ceilings or walls.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
  • Unlike most of the relatively flat Dakota prairie, the Missouri breaks that make up much of Sutton Bay’s landscape create an assortment of coulees with cattail bottoms, perfect lairs to hide the shifty late-season pheasants.
    Chris Dorsey, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Key to the Battista’s muscle management are Brembo’s six-piston carbon-ceramic brakes that can bring the car from a speed of 62 mph to a complete stop in 101.7 feet.
    Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 11 Feb. 2025
  • But the human motivation to protect ourselves pushed engineers, designers, and policy makers to make ever safer vehicles, creating airbags (which save an additional 2,756 people annually), antilock brakes, and dozens of smaller but important safety innovations.
    Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near covert

Cite this Entry

“Covert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/covert. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.

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