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
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
One of Austin’s best taquerias is moving from its furtive spot in a downtown alley to one of the most famous streets in the city.
—Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
At the cottage, our protagonists replace the furtive glances and locker-room tension from earlier episodes with quiet intimacy and words of affirmation.
—Chris Dong, USA Today, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for furtive
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
One of Austin’s best taquerias is moving from its furtive spot in a downtown alley to one of the most famous streets in the city.
—Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
At the cottage, our protagonists replace the furtive glances and locker-room tension from earlier episodes with quiet intimacy and words of affirmation.
—Chris Dong, USA Today, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for furtive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for furtive
Adjective
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An ex-con cybersecurity expert, Daniel is among a group of whistleblowers from the shady agency WARDEX who nabbed evidence of a massive, nearly 80-year cover-up that, if revealed, would be a turning point for civilization.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
Fleas thrive in damp, shady areas, so think about removing piles of leaves or debris from your yard or garden.—
Emily Hayes,
Martha Stewart,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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Some may be announced publicly; others may happen in more clandestine ways.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
10 June 2026
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But clandestine flows aren’t the biggest factor behind the market calm.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Yes, a few zingers hit their target, and some sly innuendoes tap into He-Man’s gay following.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
-
Leto, who has done more than a few of these kinds of villainous cartoon characters, brings some scene-stealing sly humor and sharp line readings to his despicable Skeletor with a voice that sounds like a cross between James Earl Jones and Sir Ian McKellen.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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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
-
Soldiers may soon be doing a bit less pack hauling as the US Department of Defense taps American Rheinmetall and Harbinger to develop a new generation of stealthy, inexpensive, and expendable robotic trucks designed to carry cargo to the battlefield.—
David Szondy
June 03,
New Atlas,
3 June 2026
-
The Avalanches have shared their second single since launching a stealthy teaser campaign earlier this year.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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In mid-January, as Iran crushed wide-scale protests with the mass killing of demonstrators, Israel prepared a covert mission along the Azerbaijan-Iran border, two of the sources familiar with the plans told CNN.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
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The facility's revelation came less than two years after North Korea unveiled another covert uranium-enrichment plant in September 2024, in its first public disclosure of such a facility since showing one at the country's main Yongbyon nuclear complex to visiting American scholars in 2010.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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That is what made this email so sneaky.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
-
Houston The Cougars retained their two best players (quarterback Conner Weigman, wide receiver Amare Thomas) and did a sneaky good job of finding fits in the portal to add to a team that went 10-3 last year.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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His most recent conviction resulted from a 2018 case when authorities said he was shot after ramming multiple Fremont undercover police cars, as officers tried to arrest him in a string of car burglaries across the Bay Area.—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
8 June 2026
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Years earlier, in 2001, the undercover detective involved claimed her career had been ruined by the case, and received around $166,000 in an out-of-court settlement, per the BBC.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Furtive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/furtive. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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