Synonym Chooser

How is the word surreptitious distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of surreptitious are clandestine, covert, furtive, secret, stealthy, and underhanded. While all these words mean "done without attracting observation," 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 clandestine be a good substitute for surreptitious?

The synonyms clandestine and surreptitious are sometimes interchangeable, 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

In what contexts can covert take the place of surreptitious?

While the synonyms covert and surreptitious are close in meaning, covert stresses the fact of not being open or declared.

covert intelligence operations

When might furtive be a better fit than surreptitious?

While in some cases nearly identical to surreptitious, furtive implies a sly or cautious stealthiness.

lovers exchanging furtive glances

Where would secret be a reasonable alternative to surreptitious?

The meanings of secret and surreptitious largely overlap; however, secret implies concealment on any grounds for any motive.

met at a secret location

When could stealthy be used to replace surreptitious?

The words stealthy and surreptitious 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

When is underhanded a more appropriate choice than surreptitious?

The words underhanded and surreptitious can be used in similar contexts, but 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 surreptitious However, when intentions are left surreptitious, fashion can be used as a political weapon. Chloe Iris Kennedy, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 The center, which opened in 2022, is responsible for deciphering, and defeating, surreptitious efforts to rig or tilt the American vote. David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024 Prince cites a conversation with Atlantic CEO (and former WIRED editor in chief) Nick Thompson as inspiration for the project; Thompson had discussed how many different publishers had encountered surreptitious web scrapers. Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 23 Sep. 2024 And there are plenty of other athletes who have sought to gain a slight edge, surreptitious or otherwise, through their own ingenuity. Susan Baek, NBC News, 9 Aug. 2024 See All Example Sentences for surreptitious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surreptitious
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
  • 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
  • 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
  • This would suggest pockets of water in deep underground aquifers.
    Victoria Corless, Space.com, 12 May 2025
  • Earlier this year, researchers announced the discovery of a brick underground aqueduct in Slovakia.
    Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 May 2025
Adjective
  • Domin encouraged residents to contact school district officials with ideas to work on private partnerships.
    Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 13 May 2025
  • But her time in public service became entangled with a private business.
    Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 13 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Surreptitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surreptitious. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on surreptitious

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