Surreptitious — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

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

conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/sɚɹɪptˈɪʃəs/

🇬🇧British English

/səɹɪptˈɪʃəs/

🇮🇳Indian English

/səɹɪptˈɪʃəs/

4 syllables Say it as /sɚɹɪptˈɪʃəs/.

Examples

a furtive manner
a sneak attack
stealthy footsteps

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

sneak hole-and-corner secret undercover clandestine stealthy cloak-and-dagger hugger-mugger underground sneaky hush-hush furtive

Parts of Speech

adjective	marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed “a furtive manner”
adjective	conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods “clandestine intelligence operations”

Word Forms

furtiveness	noun	a disposition to be sly and stealthy and to do things surreptitiously
sneak	noun	a person who is regarded as underhanded and furtive and contemptible
sneakiness	noun	a disposition to be sly and stealthy and to do things surreptitiously
stealth	noun	avoiding detection by moving carefully
stealthiness	noun	a disposition to be sly and stealthy and to do things surreptitiously
underground	noun	a secret group organized to overthrow a government or occupation force

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

heimlich

geprägt von Ruhe, Vorsicht und Geheimhaltung; sich Mühe geben, nicht beobachtet zu werden

🇫🇷French

subreptice

marqué par le calme, la prudence et le secret ; prendre soin d'éviter d'être observé

🇪🇸Spanish

subrepticio

marcado por la tranquilidad, la precaución y el secreto; esforzándose por evitar ser observado

🇮🇹Italian

surrettizio

segnato dalla quiete, dalla cautela e dalla segretezza; facendo di tutto per evitare di essere osservato

🇳🇱Dutch

heimelijk

gekenmerkt door rust, voorzichtigheid en geheimhouding; moeite doen om niet opgemerkt te worden

🇵🇹Portuguese

sub-reptício

marcado pela calma, cautela e sigilo; tomando cuidado para evitar ser observado

🇷🇺Russian

тайный

отмечен тишиной, осторожностью и секретностью; прилагать все усилия, чтобы избежать наблюдения

India

🇮🇳Hindi

छल से किया हुआ

शांति और सावधानी और गोपनीयता द्वारा चिह्नित; नज़र से बचने के लिए कष्ट उठाना

🇧🇩Bengali

গোপনীয়

শান্ত এবং সতর্কতা এবং গোপনীয়তা দ্বারা চিহ্নিত; পর্যবেক্ষণ করা এড়াতে ব্যথা গ্রহণ

🇮🇳Tamil

இரகசியமான

அமைதியான மற்றும் எச்சரிக்கை மற்றும் இரகசியம் மூலம் குறிக்கப்பட்டது; கவனிக்கப்படுவதைத் தவிர்க்க வலி எடுத்துக்கொள்வது

🇮🇳Telugu

రహస్యమైన

నిశ్శబ్ద మరియు జాగ్రత్త మరియు గోప్యతతో గుర్తించబడింది; గమనించబడకుండా ఉండటానికి నొప్పులు తీసుకోవడం

🇮🇳Marathi

गुप्त

शांत आणि सावधगिरी आणि गुप्तता द्वारे चिन्हांकित; निरीक्षण टाळण्यासाठी वेदना घेणे

🇮🇳Gujarati

ગુપ્ત

શાંત અને સાવધાની અને ગુપ્તતા દ્વારા ચિહ્નિત; અવલોકન ટાળવા માટે પીડા લેવી

🇮🇳Kannada

ಗುಟ್ಟಾದ

ಸ್ತಬ್ಧ ಮತ್ತು ಎಚ್ಚರಿಕೆ ಮತ್ತು ಗೌಪ್ಯತೆಯಿಂದ ಗುರುತಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ; ಗಮನಿಸುವುದನ್ನು ತಪ್ಪಿಸಲು ನೋವು ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು

🇮🇳Malayalam

രഹസ്യസ്വഭാവമുള്ള

ശാന്തവും ജാഗ്രതയും രഹസ്യവും കൊണ്ട് അടയാളപ്പെടുത്തിയിരിക്കുന്നു; നിരീക്ഷിക്കപ്പെടാതിരിക്കാൻ വേദനയെടുക്കുന്നു

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਗੁਪਤ

ਸ਼ਾਂਤ ਅਤੇ ਸਾਵਧਾਨੀ ਅਤੇ ਗੁਪਤਤਾ ਦੁਆਰਾ ਚਿੰਨ੍ਹਿਤ; ਦੇਖੇ ਜਾਣ ਤੋਂ ਬਚਣ ਲਈ ਦਰਦ ਲੈਣਾ

🇵🇰Urdu

خفیہ

خاموشی اور احتیاط اور رازداری سے نشان زد؛ مشاہدہ سے بچنے کے لیے درد لینا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

偷偷摸摸的

以安静、谨慎和保密为特征；尽力避免被观察

🇯🇵Japanese

密かに

静かさと用心深さと秘密が特徴です。観察されるのを避けるために苦労している

🇰🇷Korean

은밀한

조용하고 조심스럽고 비밀이 특징입니다. 감시당하지 않으려고 애쓰는 것

🇻🇳Vietnamese

lén lút

được đánh dấu bằng sự yên tĩnh, thận trọng và bí mật; cố gắng tránh bị quan sát

🇹🇭Thai

แอบแฝง

ทำเครื่องหมายด้วยความเงียบและความระมัดระวังและเป็นความลับ ทนทุกข์ทรมานเพื่อไม่ให้ถูกสังเกต

🇮🇩Indonesian

rahasia

ditandai dengan ketenangan dan kehati-hatian serta kerahasiaan; bersusah payah agar tidak diperhatikan

🇵🇭Filipino

palihim

minarkahan ng tahimik at pag-iingat at lihim; nagpapakahirap para hindi mapansin

🇲🇾Malay

sembunyi-sembunyi

ditandai dengan tenang dan berhati-hati dan kerahsiaan; bersusah payah untuk mengelak daripada diperhatikan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

خفية

يتسم بالهدوء والحذر والسرية؛ بذل قصارى جهده لتجنب مراقبته

🇮🇷Persian

پنهانی

با سکوت و احتیاط و رازداری مشخص شده است. درد کشیدن برای اجتناب از مشاهده

🇹🇷Turkish

gizli

sessizlik, ihtiyat ve gizlilikle işaretlenmiş; gözlemlenmemek için çaba harcamak

🇮🇱Hebrew

חֲשָׁאִי

מסומן בשקט ובזהירות ובסודיות; מקפידים להימנע מלהיות נצפים

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'surreptitious'?

The primary meaning of 'surreptitious' is 'marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'surreptitious' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'surreptitious' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'surreptitious' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'surreptitious' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'surreptitious' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'surreptitious' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'surreptitious' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'surreptitious' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'surreptitious' in a professional email?

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Never

Would you classify 'surreptitious' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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