clandestine

adjective

klan-ˈde-stən How to pronounce clandestine (audio)
Definition of clandestinenext
as in undercover
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others I took a clandestine peek at the price tag on the diamond necklace

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word clandestine distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of clandestine are covert, furtive, secret, stealthy, surreptitious, and underhanded. While all these words mean "done without attracting observation," clandestine implies secrecy usually for an evil, illicit, or unauthorized purpose and often emphasizes the fear of being discovered.

a clandestine meeting of conspirators

When is it sensible to use covert instead of clandestine?

The words covert and clandestine can be used in similar contexts, but covert stresses the fact of not being open or declared.

covert intelligence operations

When might furtive be a better fit than clandestine?

While the synonyms furtive and clandestine are close in meaning, furtive implies a sly or cautious stealthiness.

lovers exchanging furtive glances

Where would secret be a reasonable alternative to clandestine?

In some situations, the words secret and clandestine are roughly equivalent. However, secret implies concealment on any grounds for any motive.

met at a secret location

When can stealthy be used instead of clandestine?

Although the words stealthy and clandestine have much in common, stealthy suggests taking pains to avoid being seen or heard especially in some misdoing.

the stealthy step of a burglar

When is surreptitious a more appropriate choice than clandestine?

The meanings of surreptitious and clandestine largely overlap; however, surreptitious applies to action or behavior done secretly often with skillful avoidance of detection and in violation of custom, law, or authority.

the surreptitious stockpiling of weapons

When could underhanded be used to replace clandestine?

While in some cases nearly identical to clandestine, underhanded stresses fraud or deception.

an underhanded trick

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clandestine Colman Domingo is making his directorial debut with that Miramax project, which follows the clandestine love affair between Novak and singer-dancer and movie star Sammy Davis Jr. in 1957. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2025 During that process, the gang has been able to gain control of gold mines in the state of Bolivar as well as drug corridors on the Caribbean coast and some clandestine border crossings between Venezuela and neighboring Colombia, according to the State Department. —Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025 Turns out, that would also be Parton’s ideal day in her namesake theme park—clandestine trips. —Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 17 Mar. 2025 But behind the Cold War pomp and propaganda, Camp Century formed a testing ground for a clandestine mission known as Project Iceworm. —Katie Hunt, CNN, 15 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for clandestine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clandestine
  1. undercover
  2. covert
  3. underground
  4. private
  5. surreptitious
Adjective
  • Former Attorney General Merrick Garland said in October that the Justice Department foiled the plot as the men bought the rifles from an undercover FBI employee.
    — Krystal Nurse, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Kasie discovers that the Poet used jeweler Gemma Wood (Michelle Lukes) as a go-between to broker deals with anonymous clients, so Torres goes undercover as the man himself since news of his death hasn't left NCIS HQ.
    — Sara Netzley, EW.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Definition of undercover
Adjective
  • After the unexpected death of the pope, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running the covert process of choosing a new leader.
    — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Despite numerous brushes with the law, he was frequently shielded from prosecution, feeding theories about his connections to high-level covert U.S. operations.
    — Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2025
Definition of covert
Adjective
  • Disco first emerged in underground Black, Latino and gay clubs where people created their own version of dance music.
    — Alice George, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025
  • This week, Lawrence Burney steps in to talk about how a part of Baltimore lingo is entering the wider underground rap lexicon through artists from the Mid-Atlantic.
    — Lawrence Burney, Pitchfork, 18 Apr. 2025
Definition of underground
Adjective
  • In 2022, a consortium of private retirement-plan providers announced a collaboration to boost the portability of small retirement accounts.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
  • What is the best way to stay private, secure and anonymous while browsing the web?
    — Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report, FOXNews.com, 19 Apr. 2025
Definition of private
Adjective
  • The first surreptitious shots of Robbie in costume, however, lit up the internet anew.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2025
  • The department has been criticized for using surreptitious means to collect DNA, like grabbing a soda can used by a suspect after questioning.
    — Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2025
Definition of surreptitious

Browse Nearby Words

clan
clandestine
clandestinely
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Clandestine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clandestine. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on clandestine

Nglish: Translation of clandestine for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

'Blue Moon,' 'Wolf Moon,' and Other Moons to Look for Throughout the Year

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name that thing flower edition
Name That Flower Can you tell the difference between a lilac and a...
See All