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
Despite fluorescent lights, the space felt furtive.
—
Hazlitt, 5 Mar. 2025
Inside its budget rooms, young lovers who might otherwise be left to steal furtive kisses in the nooks and crannies of public parks or shopping malls could exert their passions behind closed doors.
—Anupreeta Das, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
Hviid has more of a feel for furtive, vaguely unsavory atmospherics and escalating editorial suspense than for maximizing action within memorable set-pieces.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025
Bunny, known for being furtive and press averse, was suddenly ubiquitous.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for furtive
Hazlitt, 5 Mar. 2025
Inside its budget rooms, young lovers who might otherwise be left to steal furtive kisses in the nooks and crannies of public parks or shopping malls could exert their passions behind closed doors.
—Anupreeta Das, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
Hviid has more of a feel for furtive, vaguely unsavory atmospherics and escalating editorial suspense than for maximizing action within memorable set-pieces.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025
Bunny, known for being furtive and press averse, was suddenly ubiquitous.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for furtive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for furtive
Adjective
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It’s implied that before going into construction, Levon had brought his military training into civilian life in some shady (though likely heroic) capacity or another — maybe even kidnap recovery.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2025
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During a recent conversation with legendary radio host Big Boy, the 26-year-old spoke about her haters and shady tension that led to this notion.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Taking over a century-old garden house hidden within Shanghai’s storied alleys, Samuel Gui Yang softly partitioned the space, seducing the audience yet making every one of them a clandestine voyeur.—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
1 Apr. 2025
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In a display of gallows humor at the sloppiness of the leaders’ theoretically clandestine communication, people online quickly turned those symbols into memes, and renamed their own chats Houthi PC small group.—
Kyle Chayka,
The New Yorker,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Here are six real books coming out this week, with dust jackets that reflect their real contents: mysteries and mishaps, often told with a sly smirk.—
Colin Dwyer,
NPR,
1 Apr. 2025
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In a perfectly coifed wig, with a sly smile and endless witticisms, Snook takes on 26 different roles across the show's nearly two hour runtime.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The cybersecurity team also highlighted the stealthy nature of the attack, which primarily targeted media professionals, educational institutions and government agencies.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2025
-
The ergonomic properties of black zirconium oxide ceramic, which is light and comfortable to wear, are bested only by its stealthy appearance, sleek by definition.—
Justin Fenner,
Robb Report,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Then Gungnir covert sniper rifle seems like a bargain, relatively speaking, at just $12,867.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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In the letter, Grassley wrote that the records would help shine a light on the Nazi planning of the covert escape routes.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Rag & Bone Miramar Refine Knit McKenna Shorts, $134 with code Your jeans collection isn’t the only section of your wardrobe that can benefit from Rag & Bone’s Miramar offerings: The brand offers sneaky sweatpant shorts, too.—
Averi Baudler,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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That includes a starring role alongside Bruce Willis in the time-travel actioner Looper (2012), a sneaky voice cameo in Glass Onion (2022), and the lead in an episode of Johnson’s murder mystery series Poker Face (2023).—
Danny Horn,
EW.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Alan Ritchson says Reacher is the American James Bond Reacher works with DEA agents Susan Duffy (Cassidy) and Guillermo Villanueva (Roberto Montesinos) to go undercover in the rug-importing front, which is led by businessman Zachary Beck (Hall).—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
1 Apr. 2025
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To investigate further, the DEA had five undercover officers visit his clinic to see whether Hollington would prescribe them medications without legit medical reasons between February and July 2022, prosecutors said.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The shifty guard snaked his way into the lane and knocked down a floater over the outstretched arms of Florida’s 6-9 forward Thomas Haugh a few minutes later.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2025
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Houston was simply without an answer for the electric, shifty guard who punished each and every defender that was put in his crosshairs.—
Kelly Iko,
The Athletic,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Furtive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/furtive. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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