1
as in shady
given to acting in secret and to concealing one's intentions
a furtive guy who always seems to be up to something, and usually that something is no-good
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clandestine
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others
gave each other furtive glances as we watched our friend open the booby-trapped soda
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of furtive
Mounting fear within the Jewish and Conservative communities of New York is that Mamdani’s furtive stance of justice for Palestine and divestment from Israel is stoking the flame of more virulent Anti-Semitism to come.
—
Alexandra Bregman, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
The clip, which shows the dog giving its owner furtive side-eye while cautiously walking by captured the breed's endearing blend of innocence and mischief.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
Over the past decade, furtive commercial entities around the world have industrialized the production, sale and dissemination of bogus scholarly research, undermining the literature that everyone from doctors to engineers rely on to make decisions about human lives.
—Guillaume Cabanac, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2025
The secret-weapon character who makes the more haunting impression is Agnes, whose chignon hides a rebellious spirit underneath — as well as a furtive romance with the stable boy, Isak (Malte Gårdinger).
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for furtive
Alexandra Bregman, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
The clip, which shows the dog giving its owner furtive side-eye while cautiously walking by captured the breed's endearing blend of innocence and mischief.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
Over the past decade, furtive commercial entities around the world have industrialized the production, sale and dissemination of bogus scholarly research, undermining the literature that everyone from doctors to engineers rely on to make decisions about human lives.
—Guillaume Cabanac, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2025
The secret-weapon character who makes the more haunting impression is Agnes, whose chignon hides a rebellious spirit underneath — as well as a furtive romance with the stable boy, Isak (Malte Gårdinger).
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for furtive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for furtive
Adjective
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But what is Canada, if not a shady land deal?—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
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The retreat is made up of 60 villas—some with their own pools—found along winding lanes, made shady with towering palm trees and scented frangipani.—
Angelina Villa-Clarke,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Co-created by The New York Times bestselling author Carr and season 1 creator and showrunner David DiGilio, Dark Wolf follows Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch) on his journey from the SEALs to the clandestine side of CIA special operations.—
Susan Young,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
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The Bundy family’s statement noted this and said their destination was not clandestine, as the FBI document alleged.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Her voice in the essays is sly and irreverent, knowing and persuasive—all qualities that endeared her to readers, despite her often excessively Manichean tone.—
Anderson Tepper,
The Atlantic,
8 Sep. 2025
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Pressured by friends to join the popular online game Nerve, Vee teams up with a sly and charming competitor (Dave Franco) for just one dare in what seems like harmless fun.—
Caitlin White,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Get Ready: Katy Perry Has Released a Sneak Peek of Her New Song And the internet has receipts.—
Mehera Bonner,
Marie Claire,
15 Mar. 2017
Adjective
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The British designer made a stealthy comeback in 2023 with a namesake label hinged on her brand of modern minimalism, womanly allure and uncompromising quality.—
WWD Staff,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
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Not sure if this one was already posted besides all the other fancy stuff … looks like a new cruise missile (most likely a land-attack system) and maybe also as a stealthy KD-20/20A replacement?—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Washington legislators and intelligence agencies have cited fears that TikTok's recommendation algorithm and data access could enable covert manipulation or espionage by China's government—a claim fiercely denied by ByteDance and Beijing.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
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Some of the accidents involved the Army’s most elite troops and occurred during the course of covert operations.—
Seth Harp,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But give people a chance to ditch these sneaky little time-stealers for a night, and most will take it.—
Symiah Dorsey,
Southern Living,
18 Sep. 2025
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The former Raiders defender clearly has plenty of playing left in his career, and this could be a sneaky pickup for Los Angeles.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The two were to meet in the Salt Lake City area, where Nicholas Eller was to pay the undercover officer $130,000 for the marijuana.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
17 Sep. 2025
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Eldin also sold drugs to an undercover DEA agent five times in 2023 and 2024, including one $1,200 deal for five ounces, authorities said in court filings.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Furtive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/furtive. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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