What does "furtive" mean?
Of a thing: done with evasive or guilty secrecy.
Furtive
/ˈfɜːtɪv/ adj
adj ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Of a thing: done with evasive or guilty secrecy.
- Grammar: furtive is listed as adj.
- Nearest alternatives: stealthy, surreptitious, artful, back door.
- Useful contrasts: theftless, blatant, candid.
- Usage evidence: The spy was very furtive as he stole the keys from the guard.
How to use "furtive"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "furtive" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "furtive" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "furtive" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "furtive" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "furtive" is acting as adj in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "stealthy" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "furtive", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Of a thing: done with evasive or guilty secrecy.
"[…] The Defendant never vvas acknovvledged by the Sieur Harrouard’s Family, nor by that of his VVife. Thus, granting him to have been in Poſſeſſion of his Son’s Eſtate, it vvould only be a furtive and clandeſtine, not a public and avovved Poſſeſſion; and conſequently ſuch a Poſſeſſion as is incapable of founding a juſt and legal Title."
- 2 Of a thing: that has been acquired by theft; stolen; also (generally) taken stealthily.
"Novv ſhine theſe Planets vvith ſubſtantial Rays? / Does innate Luſtre gild their meaſur'd Days? / Or do they (as your Schemes, I think, have ſhovvn) / Dart furtive Beams, and Glory not their ovvn, / All Servants to that Source of Light, the Sun?"
- 3 Of a person or an animal: sly, stealthy.
"All women have their foibles. Wise husbands must bear and forbear. Is that all? wherefore, then, is her aspect so furtive, wherefore on his a wild, vigilant sternness?"
- 4 Of a person, etc.: inclined to steal; pilfering, thieving.
Adjective
- 1 secret and sly or sordid wordnet
- 2 marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The spy was very furtive as he stole the keys from the guard."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "furtive"?
Common synonyms include: stealthy, surreptitious, artful, back door, back-door, backstair.
How do you use "furtive" in a sentence?
The spy was very furtive as he stole the keys from the guard.
How do you pronounce "furtive"?
Pronounced /ˈfɜːtɪv/.
Etymology
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).