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"
surreptitious
How to use surreptitious in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for surreptitious.
Editorial note
The TV show "Peep Show", which isn't about surreptitious leering despite the title, uses first person PoV in their series.
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 surreptitious gathered in one view.
conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods; "clandestine intelligence operations"; "cloak-and-dagger activities behind enemy lines"; "hole-and-corner intrigue"; "secret missions"; "a secret agent"; "secret sales of arms"; "surreptitious mobilization of troops"; "an undercover investigation"; "underground resistance"
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for surreptitious.
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"
adjective
conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods; "clandestine intelligence operations"; "cloak-and-dagger activities behind enemy lines"; "hole-and-corner intrigue"; "secret missions"; "a secret agent"; "secret sales of arms"; "surreptitious mobilization of troops"; "an undercover investigation"; "underground resistance"
See also: clandestine, cloak-and-dagger, hugger-mugger, hush-hush, secret, undercover, underground
Example sentences
The TV show "Peep Show", which isn't about surreptitious leering despite the title, uses first person PoV in their series.
There's not really anything that you can categorize in good faith as "surreptitious" about it.
And likewise, the relative infrequency of surreptitious recording being useful will limit how often the devices will be used that way.
You have to show some unusual circumstance--such as one party's surreptitious alteration prior to signing--if you want to claim there was no meeting of the minds.
Outside of my tech-oriented friends, most people I've discussed surreptitious electronic government surveillance with are either unconcerned about it or actually for it.
They do --but with the camera & video equipment available today, unless they search people before they enter facilities and confiscate, it's more of a gentleperson's agreement that people will not take surreptitious photos of others' equipment.
Not at all unlikely since the FBI has been in the practice of using surreptitious entry since at least the 1970 at the behest of the NSA and the CIA in a bid to recover cryptographic keys and other information instead of having to brute force them.
The Government, operating primarily through secret informants, but also using other intrusive techniques such as wiretaps, microphone "bugs", surreptitious mail opening, and break-ins, has swept in vast amounts of information about the personal lives, views, and associations of American citizens.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use surreptitious in a sentence?
The TV show "Peep Show", which isn't about surreptitious leering despite the title, uses first person PoV in their series.
What does surreptitious 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 surreptitious?
surreptitious is commonly used as adjective.