Thiefly

//ˈθiːfli// adj, adv

adj, adv ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Like a thief; thievish. archaic

    "Most patiently, with noiseless tread, I then did Make thro' those sumptuous halls my thiefly way, Until at last I reached the chamber splendid Where Hobart Chatfield Chatfield slumb'ring lay."

Adverb
  1. 1
    Like a thief; thievishly. rare

    "What great is living so thiefly!!! (Like a thief)."

Synonyms

All synonyms
thiefy

Example

More examples

"Most patiently, with noiseless tread, I then did Make thro' those sumptuous halls my thiefly way, Until at last I reached the chamber splendid Where Hobart Chatfield Chatfield slumb'ring lay."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English theefly; equivalent to thief + -ly.

Etymology 2

From Middle English thefly, þeefliche, þeofliche, equivalent thief + -ly.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.