surreptitious

adjective

ˌsər-əp-ˈti-shəs How to pronounce surreptitious (audio)
Definition of surreptitiousnext
as in clandestine
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others a private investigator adept at taking surreptitious pictures of adulterous couples

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word surreptitious distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of surreptitious are clandestine, covert, furtive, secret, stealthy, and underhanded. While all these words mean "done without attracting observation," 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 would clandestine be a good substitute for surreptitious?

The synonyms clandestine and surreptitious are sometimes interchangeable, but clandestine implies secrecy usually for an evil, illicit, or unauthorized purpose and often emphasizes the fear of being discovered.

a clandestine meeting of conspirators

In what contexts can covert take the place of surreptitious?

While the synonyms covert and surreptitious are close in meaning, covert stresses the fact of not being open or declared.

covert intelligence operations

When might furtive be a better fit than surreptitious?

While in some cases nearly identical to surreptitious, furtive implies a sly or cautious stealthiness.

lovers exchanging furtive glances

Where would secret be a reasonable alternative to surreptitious?

The meanings of secret and surreptitious largely overlap; however, secret implies concealment on any grounds for any motive.

met at a secret location

When could stealthy be used to replace surreptitious?

The words stealthy and surreptitious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, stealthy suggests taking pains to avoid being seen or heard especially in some misdoing.

the stealthy step of a burglar

When is underhanded a more appropriate choice than surreptitious?

The words underhanded and surreptitious can be used in similar contexts, but 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 surreptitious Prince cites a conversation with Atlantic CEO (and former WIRED editor in chief) Nick Thompson as inspiration for the project; Thompson had discussed how many different publishers had encountered surreptitious web scrapers. —Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 23 Sep. 2024 And there are plenty of other athletes who have sought to gain a slight edge, surreptitious or otherwise, through their own ingenuity. —Susan Baek, NBC News, 9 Aug. 2024 Misty was a friendless creep, hence her surreptitious dismantling of the plane’s black box to prolong her adventure with the popular girls and her beloved coach. —Judy Berman, TIME, 2 Oct. 2024 But in a world of mostly unregulated data collection (at least in the U.S.) and AI processing power, brands may be tweaking prices in more surreptitious ways that are much harder to get around. —Webb Wright, Scientific American, 3 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for surreptitious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surreptitious
  1. clandestine
  2. covert
  3. undercover
  4. underground
  5. private
Adjective
  • After authorities responded with mass arrests, weavers formed clandestine committees and took secret oaths.
    — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Til Schweiger plays a sardonic whale-tourism boat captain (and former elite military operative, obviously) who gets roped into taking down a clandestine organization that’s building the perfect super-soldier through genetic experiments.
    — Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of clandestine
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
  • 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
  • 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

Browse Nearby Words

surrender (to)
surreptitious
surreptitiously
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Cite this Entry

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

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