surreptitious

adjective
UK: /ˌsʌrəpˈtɪʃəs/
US: /ˌsʌrəpˈtɪʃəs/

  1. Done secretly, without anyone seeing or knowing.

    1. He took a surreptitious glance at his watch so nobody notices.
    2. The student made a surreptitious recording of the lecture using his phone.

  2. Acting in a sneaky or stealthy way, often to avoid detection or disapproval.

    1. I saw him make a surreptitious move to grab some cookies.
    2. She engaged in surreptitious activities to gather information about the rival company.

Synonyms

secret underhand furtive stealthy sneaky clandestine covert
surreptitious adverb

  1. In a secret or sneaky way; avoiding notice or attention.

    1. He surreptitiously passed the note during class quickly.
    2. She surreptitiously slipped the key under the door without being seen.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "surreptitious" in English means: Done secretly, without anyone seeing or knowing., Acting in a sneaky or stealthy way, often to avoid detection or disapproval..

The phonetic transcription of "surreptitious" is /ˌsʌrəpˈtɪʃəs/ in British English and /ˌsʌrəpˈtɪʃəs/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "surreptitious": secret, underhand, furtive, stealthy, sneaky, clandestine, covert.

Example usage of "surreptitious": "He took a surreptitious glance at his watch so nobody notices.". More examples on the page.