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
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.
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
See all Example Sentences for furtive 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
See all Example Sentences for furtive
Articles Related to furtive
Dictionary Entries Near furtive
Cite this Entry
“Furtive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/furtive. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
furtive
adjective
fur·tive
ˈfərt-iv 
: done in a sneaky or sly manner
a furtive look
furtively
adverb
furtiveness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share