Standard Lemma guide

furtive

adj · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfɜːtɪv/
  • Received-Pronunciation: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈfɝtɪv/
  • General-American: [-ɾɪv]
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: [ˈfɜːɾɪv]
  • rhymes with -ɜːtɪv
  • CMU ARPABET: F ER1 T IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of a thing: done with evasive or guilty secrecy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: clandestine, surreptitious, abstruse, behind the scenes, catlike, backroom, stealth, cloak-and-dagger, concealed, confidential, covert, deep-laid, dern, disguised, furtive, huggermugger, hush-hush, inconspicuous, incognito, low profile, lurksome, lurky, mousy, obfuscated, off-the-books, on the down-low, on the sly, secret, secretive, slinky, sly, sneaky, stealthy, sub rosa, under-the-table, under the radar, under wraps, undercover, underground, unperceived

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of a thing: that has been acquired by theft; stolen; also (generally) taken stealthily.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Of a person or an animal: sly, stealthy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: thieflike, thievish

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Of a person, etc.: inclined to steal; pilfering, thieving.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: thievish

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

secret and sly or sordid- A.L.Guerard

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • backstairs gossip
  • his low backstairs cunning
  • backstairs intimacies
  • furtive behavior

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: backstair, backstairs

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a furtive manner
  • a sneak attack
  • stealthy footsteps
  • a surreptitious glance at his watch

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sneak(a), sneaky, stealthy, surreptitious

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English *furtyve (implied in furtyvely (adverb)), from Middle French furtif, furtive (“furtive, stealthy”) (modern French furtif), from Latin fūrtīvus (“clandestine, furtive, secret; concealed, hidden; stolen”), from fūrtum (“theft; robbery”) (from fūr (“thief”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bher- (“to bear, carry”)) + -īvus (suffix forming adjectives).

Across languages

Translations

59 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: потаен (potaen) — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Czech: kradmý — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Czech: nenápadný — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Dutch: furtief — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Dutch: diefachtig — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Dutch: heimelijk — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Dutch: steels — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Finnish: petollinen — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Finnish: vaivihkainen — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • German: verstohlen — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Greek: φευγαλέος (fevgaléos) — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Latin: fūrtīvus — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Macedonian: по́таен (pótaen) — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Norwegian Bokmål: hemmelighetsfull — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Norwegian Bokmål: forstjålen — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Norwegian Bokmål: stjålen — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Polish: potajemny — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Polish: tajemny — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Polish: ukradkowy — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Portuguese: furtivo — of a thing: exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy
  • Arabic: مَاكِر (mākir) — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Arabic: مُسْتَرَق (mustaraq) — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Arabic: مُخْتَلَس (muḵtalas) — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Arabic: مَخْفِيّ (maḵfiyy) — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Bulgarian: скрит (skrit) — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Bulgarian: прикрит (prikrit) — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Chinese Cantonese: 鬼鬼祟祟 (gwai2 gwai2 seoi6 seoi6) — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鬼鬼祟祟 (guǐguǐsuìsuì) — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Czech: kradmý — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Czech: potutelný — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Dutch: furtief — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Dutch: heimelijk — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Dutch: steels — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Finnish: vaivihkainen — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • French: furtif — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • French: subreptice — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • German: geheim — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • German: heimlich — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • German: Tarn- — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Greek: κρυφός (kryfós) — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Greek: λαθραίος (lathraíos) — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Italian: furtivo — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Latin: fūrtīvus — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Latvian: zaglīgs — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Macedonian: скри́шен (skríšen) — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Māori: whakamokeke — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Plautdietsch: heemlich — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Polish: podstępny — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Polish: przebiegły — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Portuguese: furtivo — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Russian: скры́тный (skrýtnyj) — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Spanish: furtivo — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Spanish: sigiloso — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Tagalog: alimis — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Tajik: ноаён (noayon) — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Zhuang: yupyup yapyap — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Zhuang: yupyup yiengyieng — of a person or animal: sly, stealthy
  • Finnish: salaa otettu — taken stealthily
  • Polish: ukradkowy — taken stealthily