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fur·tive

 adjective \ˈfər-tiv\

Definition of FURTIVE

1

a : done by stealth : surreptitious

b : expressive of stealth : sly <had a furtive look about him>

2

: obtained underhandedly : stolen

— fur·tive·ly adverb

— fur·tive·ness noun

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Examples of FURTIVE

1. He cast a furtive glance in our direction.
2. We exchanged furtive smiles across the table.
3. This means that they need use only quantum mechanics or only general relativity and can, with a furtive glance, shrug off the barking admonition of the other. —Brian Greene, The Elegant Universe, 1999
4. [+]more

Origin of FURTIVE

French or Latin; French furtif, from Latin furtivus, fromfurtum theft, from fur thief, from or akin to Greek phōrthief; akin to Greek pherein to carry — more at bear

First Known Use: 1612

Related to FURTIVE

Synonyms

sneaky, shady, shifty, slippery, sly, sneaking, stealthy

Antonyms

open, overt, public

Related Words

artful, crafty, cunning, devious, foxy, guileful, slick, wily;close, closemouthed, reticent, secretive; clandestine,covert, dark; deceitful, deceiving, deceptive, devious,duplicitous, trickish, tricky, underhand, underhanded;cheating, crooked, defrauding, dishonest, dissembling,double-dealing, knavish, two-faced; lying, mendacious,untrustworthy, untruthful; insidious, perfidious, serpentine,treacherous

Near Antonyms

aboveboard, forthright, plainspoken, straightforward;candid, direct, foursquare, frank, open, plain; honest,trustworthy, truthful

more

See Synonym Discussion at secret

Learn More About FURTIVE

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for "furtive"

Spanish-English Dictionary: Translation of "furtive"

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