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furtive

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of furtive

1 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 of furtive

shady, shifty, slippery, sly, sneaking, sneaky, stealthy
Words Related to furtive

artful, crafty, cunning, devious, foxy, guileful, slick, wily

close, closemouthed, reticent, secretive

clandestine, covert, dark

deceitful, deceiving, deceptive, devious, duplicitous, trickish, tricky, underhand, underhanded

cheating, crooked, defrauding, dishonest, dissembling, double-dealing, knavish, two-faced

lying, mendacious, untrustworthy, untruthful

insidious, perfidious, serpentine, treacherous
Near Antonyms of furtive

aboveboard, forthright, plainspoken, straightforward

candid, direct, foursquare, frank, open, plain

honest, trustworthy, truthful

2 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
Synonyms of furtive

backstairs, behind-the-scenes, clandestine, covert, hole-and-corner, hugger-mugger, hush-hush, private, privy, secret, sneak, sneaking, sneaky, stealth, stealthy, surreptitious, undercover, underground, underhand, underhanded
Words Related to furtive

back-channel, closed-door, off-the-books, off-the-record

classified, confidential, restricted, top secret, undisclosed

concealed, hidden, secreted, subterranean, unadvertised, unexposed
Near Antonyms of furtive

acknowledged, avowed

aboveboard, straightforward, unconcealed, undisguised

unclassified, unrestricted

clear, evident, manifest, obvious, patent, plain
Antonyms of furtive

open, overt, public

Synonym Discussion of 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

Learn More about furtive

  1. Dictionary: Definition of furtive Spanish Central: Translation of furtive Nglish: Translation of furtive for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of furtive for Arabic speakers

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