furtive

adjective

fur·​tive ˈfər-tiv 

1

a

: done in a quiet and secretive way to avoid being noticed : surreptitious

a furtive glance

exchanged furtive smiles

b

: expressive of stealth : sly

had a furtive look about him

2

: obtained underhandedly : stolen

furtive gains

furtively adverb

furtiveness noun

Did you know?

Furtive comes from either Latin furtivus or French furtif. The earliest known written uses of furtive are from the early 1600s. When first used in English, furtive meant "done by stealth," and later also came to mean, less commonly, "stolen." Whichever meaning you choose, the word has an elusive ancestry, which is particularly fitting, since a thief must be furtive to avoid getting caught in the act.

Synonyms

• shady
• shifty
• slippery
• sly
• sneaking
• sneaky
• stealthy

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of furtive in a Sentence

This means that they need use only quantum mechanics or only general relativity and can, with a furtive glance, shrug off the barking admonition of the other. —Brian Greene, The Elegant Universe, 1999

Fall's pleasures were furtive, risky, short-lived-buckeye fights, … the endless recipes for the apples Mrs. Railsbeck asked him to fetch from the cobwebbed crate in the basement. —Stewart O'Nan, The Names of the Dead, 1996

… it made Shepherd look furtive, wary, hunted—as if the photographer had shot him against his will, in the act of slamming the door. —Helen Garner, The First Stone, 1995

He cast a furtive glance in our direction.

We exchanged furtive smiles across the table.

Recent Examples on the Web

Tracking helped to transform a small, furtive ape into a global force. —Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024

With his floppy auburn hair, David oozed charisma despite seeming furtive, somewhat ill-at-ease, and in a hurry. —Mattha Busby, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2024

Resource scarcity still abounds, everyone continues to move with the furtive paranoia that’s part and parcel with living under a police state, and abortions are performed in the functional equivalent of back alleys. —Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2024

Popular on Variety The friendship the two strike once Amelia recognizes something quite intriguing in those furtive glances the young blond seamstress unwittingly lobs her way, unlocks something within Ginia. —Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 9 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French or Latin; French furtif, from Latin furtivus, from furtum theft, from fur thief, from or akin to Greek phōr thief; akin to Greek pherein to carry — more at bear

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

furtive

adjective

fur·​tive ˈfərt-iv 

: done in a sneaky or sly manner

a furtive look

furtively adverb

furtiveness noun