Link Centre Dictionary

furtive

fur·tive

UK/ˈfɜːtɪv/ US/ˈfɝtɪv/ rare

adjective

1.

marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed

  • “a furtive manner”
  • “a lurking prowler”
  • “a sneak attack”
  • “stealthy footsteps”
  • “a surreptitious glance at his watch”
  • “someone skulking in the shadows”
Synonyms
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2.

secret and sly or sordid

  • “backstairs gossip”
  • “his low backstairs cunning” A.L.Guerard
  • “backstairs intimacies”
  • “furtive behavior”
Synonyms
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Origin

From Middle English *furtyve (implied in furtyvely (adverb)), from Middle French furtif, furtive (“furtive, stealthy”) (modern French furtif), from Latin fūrtīvus (“clandestine, furtive, secret; concealed, hidden; stolen”), from fūrtum (“theft; robbery”) (from fūr (“thief”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”)) + -īvus (suffix forming adjectives).

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.