Furtive

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈfɜːtɪv/
• AusE IPA: ˈfɜːɾɪv
• US IPA: ˈfɝ.ɾɪv

Origin

From French furtif ("stealthy"), From Latin fūrtīvus ("stolen"), from fūrtum ("theft"), from fūr ("thief").

Full definition of furtive

Adjective

1. stealthy
2. Exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy.
• 1949, George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, p31But that was merely a piece of furtive knowledge which he happened to possess because his memory was not satisfactorily under control.

Synonyms

• (stealthy) surreptitious

Derived terms

• furtively
• furtiveness