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 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 Some aimed for household names; others stayed stealthy. Phil De Luna, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025 Leveraging Tools That Detect Abnormal Identity Behavior Despite excellent policies, organizations are still vulnerable to stealthy tactics without the right tech. Galit Lubetzky, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025 This was not the first time the U.S. Navy has sent a stealthy Zumwalt-class vessel to the west of the International Date Line. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 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
  • With its rolling hills, shady live oaks, and thriving equestrian scene, Ocala already has bucolic appeal.
    Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 14 May 2025
Adjective
  • The Gestapo, Hitler’s secret police, combed the Poles’ ranks in search of men with experience in clandestine resistance organizations.
    Paul Hockenos, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2025
  • Alongside the harbour in Lerwick are five fishing boats, once part of the clandestine Anglo-Norwegian Shetland Bus mission, and the wartime cargo ship Hestmanden.
    Heather Farmbrough, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Adjective
  • The line that the AI isn’t forming a personal opinion is a kind of sneaky subterfuge.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
  • This one had a sneaky flavor booster—Dijon mustard.
    Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 6 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
  • Samuel French, a Texas actor on the rise who portrayed the undercover FBI agent CJ Robinson in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, has died.
    Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2025
  • Pisano has been with the show since his 2021 debut as undercover officer Detective Joe Velasco.
    KiMi Robinson, USA Today, 8 May 2025
Adjective
  • Earlier this year, researchers announced the discovery of a brick underground aqueduct in Slovakia.
    Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 May 2025
  • This would suggest pockets of water in deep underground aquifers.
    Victoria Corless, Space.com, 12 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Stealthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stealthy. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

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