Synonym Chooser

How is the word stealthy distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of stealthy are clandestine, covert, furtive, secret, surreptitious, and underhanded. While all these words mean "done without attracting observation," stealthy suggests taking pains to avoid being seen or heard especially in some misdoing.

the stealthy step of a burglar

When is it sensible to use clandestine instead of stealthy?

The words clandestine and stealthy can be used in similar contexts, but 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 might covert be a better fit than stealthy?

The meanings of covert and stealthy largely overlap; however, covert stresses the fact of not being open or declared.

covert intelligence operations

When could furtive be used to replace stealthy?

In some situations, the words furtive and stealthy are roughly equivalent. However, furtive implies a sly or cautious stealthiness.

lovers exchanging furtive glances

When can secret be used instead of stealthy?

Although the words secret and stealthy have much in common, secret implies concealment on any grounds for any motive.

met at a secret location

When is surreptitious a more appropriate choice than stealthy?

The synonyms surreptitious and stealthy are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 would underhanded be a good substitute for stealthy?

The words underhanded and stealthy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 stealthy As all the attention is being paid to President Donald Trump’s tariff policies that create international chaos and whip global markets into a frenzy, a stealthy change has emerged. Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025 The United States must therefore pair initiatives to produce cheap drones with ones aimed at making survivable and reusable airpower, especially stealthy planes. Stacie L. Pettyjohn, Foreign Affairs, 10 Mar. 2025 My network—stealthy enough that thieves often don’t even know they’re being tracked. Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2025 Of course, like everything else in the defense realm, this advantage has resulted in an arms race waged over a century as navies come up with better ways to detect submarines while making their boats stealthier. New Atlas, 26 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stealthy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stealthy
Adjective
  • Gates has three ecosystems on her quarter-acre: a sunny front yard, a shady back plot and a small wetland garden on one side.
    USA Today, USA Today, 16 May 2025
  • Join a group hike along a shady, 1.5-mile trail in Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve.
    Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 May 2025
Adjective
  • Tired of using bulky night vision goggles for your clandestine nocturnal activities?
    Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 22 May 2025
  • The fiery combination of Mars trine Venus sparks things up in your clandestine 12th house of secrets and eighth house of intimate affairs.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • Upgrade to some new bags that hold a sneaky amount of stuff and look great doing it.
    Sara Coughlin, SELF, 19 May 2025
  • From sneaky ways to get her grandkids outside to turning tiny household tasks into exciting activities, here are the nostalgic summer things your Southern grandma would use to entertain and delight on a trip to her house.
    Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 17 May 2025
Adjective
  • Asked by the newspaper’s lawyers to explain how the furtive system worked, Mr. Frankel typed up a 14-page memo.
    David W. Dunlap, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
  • Several of these involve a furtive religious cult known as the Scars — its adherents have a way of pussyfooting through the forest and doing absolutely horrible things to nonbelievers.
    Tom Gliatto, People.com, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • That includes Tom Cruise, as covert CIA division agent Ethan Hunt, riding a motorcycle off a 4,000-foot cliff and BASE jumping the final 500 feet of a ravine, or the breathless climactic train mayhem in 2023’s Dead Reckoning, the opening installment of this two-parter.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025
  • In an opinion piece published by the Venezuelan independent newspaper La Razón, former lawmaker Omar González Moreno recounted the covert mission that freed him and four others without a single shot being fired.
    Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 May 2025
Adjective
  • Based on the memoir of a real doctor, the stories and tribulations feel achingly real, and Whishaw's sly smile and tongue-in-cheek delivery keeps the depressing stories from becoming too morose.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 8 May 2025
  • Meanwhile, Adebayo has continued to support Wilson with sly social media posts.
    Jordana Comiter, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Over the course of the investigation, Salinas Valencia sold the undercover officer several firearms, including two machineguns, as well as fentanyl pills and cocaine.
    Brian Bell, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 May 2025
  • Officer 18 was a standout among undercover officers, doubling his or her regular pay all three years.
    Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 20 May 2025
Adjective
  • The second phase of redevelopment is expected to double the size of the Stockyards, adding three hotels, 300,000 square feet of commercial space, at least 295 units of multifamily housing and two underground parking garages.
    Kate Marijolovic, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 May 2025
  • Weather permitting, chefs prepare cochinita pibil, perhaps the most iconic dish of the region, in an underground pit directly on the beach.
    Claudia Alarcón, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Stealthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stealthy. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

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