Surreptitious Meaning
/ˌsʌɹɪpˈtɪʃəs/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjStealthy, furtive, well hidden, covert (especially movements).
Sentence Examples
There is more than a fine line between unspoken rizz and surreptitious sexual harassment.
The surreptitious gesture went unnoticed by the rest of the room.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The spy made a ____ glance at the classified document when no one was looking.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He took a ____ glance at his watch during the long and boring meeting to see how much time was left today.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Latin surrēptīcius (“furtive, clandestine”), from surrēpō (“to creep along”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"He read the letter aloud. Sophia listened with the studied air of one for whom, even in these days, a title possessed some surreptitious allurement."
— 1921, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:
"It is also worth noting the case law on prisoners' correspondence which establishes that interception of a person's communications need not be surreptitious in order to amount to an interference with respect to Art 8 (1) [ECHR]."
— 1998, Lee A. Bygrave, “Data Protection Pursuant to the Right to Privavy in Human Rights Treaties”, in International Journal of Law and Information Technology, volume 6, number 3, pages 260–261:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The spy made a ____ glance at the classified document when no one was looking.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He took a ____ glance at his watch during the long and boring meeting to see how much time was left today.