English Explanatory Dictionary

furtive

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj

Of a thing: done with evasive or guilty secrecy.
Of a thing: that has been acquired by theft; stolen; also (generally) taken stealthily.
Of a person or an animal: sly, stealthy.
Of a person, etc.: inclined to steal; pilfering, thieving.

Pronunciation

/ˈfɜːtɪv/ En-uk-furtive.oga /ˈfɝtɪv/ [-ɾɪv] En-us-furtive.ogg [ˈfɜːɾɪv]

Word forms

furtive more furtive most furtive

Etymology

From Middle English *furtyve (implied in furtyvely (adverb)), from Middle French furtif, furtive (“furtive, stealthy”) (modern French furtif), from Latin fūrtīvus (“clandestine, furtive, secret; concealed, hidden; stolen”), from fūrtum (“theft; robbery”) (from fūr (“thief”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”)) + -īvus (suffix forming adjectives).

Synonyms

clandestine surreptitious abstruse behind the scenes catlike backroom stealth cloak-and-dagger concealed confidential covert deep-laid dern disguised furtive huggermugger hush-hush inconspicuous incognito low profile lurksome lurky mousy obfuscated off-the-books on the down-low on the sly secret secretive slinky sly sneaky stealthy sub rosa under-the-table under the radar under wraps undercover underground unperceived thieflike thievish

Related words

ferret

Derived words

furtively furtiveness furtivity

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