marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed; "a furtive manner"; "a sneak attack"; "stealthy footsteps"; "a surreptitious glance at his watch"
furtive
How to use furtive in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for furtive.
Editorial note
I was never furtive about, people just speak loud enough for one to hear.
Quick take
marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed; "a furtive manner"; "a sneak attack"; "stealthy footsteps"; "a surreptitious glance at his watch"
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of furtive gathered in one view.
secret and sly or sordid; "backstairs gossip"; "his low backstairs cunning"- A.L.Guerard; "backstairs intimacies"; "furtive behavior"
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for furtive.
adjective
marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed; "a furtive manner"; "a sneak attack"; "stealthy footsteps"; "a surreptitious glance at his watch"
See also: sneaky, stealthy, surreptitious
adjective
secret and sly or sordid; "backstairs gossip"; "his low backstairs cunning"- A.L.Guerard; "backstairs intimacies"; "furtive behavior"
See also: backstair, backstairs
Example sentences
I was never furtive about, people just speak loud enough for one to hear.
Then I started getting furtive emails asking me questions like, "how do you write a resume?
Somehow, furtive glances doesn't come across much better.
To the extent euthanasia might be called for we need unspoken nod and furtive protocols.
They'd have to be just about insane to not say they thought the person had a gun, moved their hands towards their waistbands, made a furtive movement, etc.
Each time I collected a jar full, a furtive man in a white coat would come around to collect them, handing over a five-pound note in exchange.
Aaronsw's furtive behavior really muddies the waters here - if my sysadmin found a similar laptop in a server closet I would also have called the cops.
It's amazing just how real Elon Musk is -- he doesn't sugar coat answers and isn't furtive when describing Tesla's many weaknesses, unlike most other automaker CEOs.
What if you could have a bunch of humanoid AI trained to make furtive movements, pop a head out briefly, dart between cover, to make it more difficult for the sniper to tell when you were moving?
But after being signaled by the police, getting into the driver's seat and putting the keys into the ignition more than reasonably qualifies as a furtive gesture.
But he could enforce drug laws, gang injunctions, and parole and probation terms relatively easily just by driving around and making “good obs”— good observations, cop lingo for catching, at a glance, a bulge under a shirt, a furtive motion of hands.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use furtive in a sentence?
I was never furtive about, people just speak loud enough for one to hear.
What does furtive mean?
marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed; "a furtive manner"; "a sneak attack"; "stealthy footsteps"; "a surreptitious glance at his watch"
What part of speech is furtive?
furtive is commonly used as adjective.