Surreptitious (Adjective)

Meaning ¹

Marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed; "a furtive manner"; "a sneak attack"; "stealthy footsteps"; "a surreptitious glance at his watch".

Classification

All adjective clusters.

Examples

• The employee was reprimanded for her surreptitious use of company resources for personal projects.
• The detective made a surreptitious phone call to the informant to gather more evidence.
• The children exchanged surreptitious glances when their mother asked if they had eaten all the cookies.
• The driver made a surreptitious U-turn to avoid the traffic congestion ahead.
• The politician's surreptitious meetings with the lobbyists raised suspicions about his motives.

Synonyms

• Sneaky
• Stealthy
• Furtive
• Sneak

Meaning ²

Conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods; "clandestine intelligence operations"; "cloak-and-dagger activities behind enemy lines"; "hole-and-corner intrigue"; "secret missions"; "a secret agent"; "secret sales of arms"; "surreptitious mobilization of troops"; "an undercover investigation"; "underground resistance".

Classification

All adjective clusters.

Synonyms

• Clandestine
• Hole-and-corner
• Cloak-and-dagger
• Undercover
• Hush-hush
• Underground
• Hugger-mugger
• Secret