furtive

[ fur-tiv ]
/ ˈfɜr tɪv /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR furtive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

taken, done, used, etc., surreptitiously or by stealth; secret: a furtive glance.
sly; shifty: a furtive manner.

Origin of furtive

1480–90; < Latin furtīvus, equivalent to furt(um) theft (compare fūr thief) + -īvus -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM furtive

fur·tive·ly, adverb fur·tive·ness, noun

Words nearby furtive

further education, furtherance, furthermore, furthermost, furthest, furtive, furtwängler, furuncle, furunculoid, furunculosis, furunculus

Words related to furtive

clandestine, covert, surreptitious, conspiratorial, artful, calculating, cautious, circumspect, crafty, creepy, cunning, disguised, elusive, evasive, foxy, hidden, hush-hush, insidious, masked, scheming

Example sentences from the Web for furtive

British Dictionary definitions for furtive

furtive
/ (ˈfɜːtɪv) /

adjective

characterized by stealth; sly and secretive

Derived forms of furtive

furtively, adverb furtiveness, noun

Word Origin for furtive

C15: from Latin furtīvus stolen, clandestine, from furtum a theft, from fūr a thief; related to Greek phōr thief