furtively


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fur·tive

 (fûr′tĭv)
adj.
Characterized by, acting with, or suggesting stealth or a desire to avoid discovery; surreptitious: "J.W. from time to time gave her a furtive squeeze of the hand, but they never got to go out alone any more" (John Dos Passos). See Synonyms at secret.

[French furtif, from Old French, from Latin fūrtīvus, from fūrtum, theft, from fūr, thief; see bher- in Indo-European roots.]

fur′tive·ly adv.
fur′tive·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adv.1.furtively - in a furtive manner; "the soldiers were furtively crawling through the night"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

furtively

[ˈfɜːtɪvlɪ] ADVfurtivamente
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

furtively

[ˈfɜːrtɪvli] advfurtivement
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

furtively

adv look, glanceverstohlen; behaveverdächtig
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

furtively

[ˈfɜːtɪvlɪ] advfurtivamente
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in classic literature ?
The Mouse peeped out, crept furtively up his flank, and again biting him, retreated to his hole.
The idea grew upon her as the day advanced until she spent the time in watching furtively for some means of escape should they but touch the shore momentarily; and though they halted twice her captors were too watchful to permit her the slightest opportunity for putting her plan into action.
"Why stealest thou along so furtively in the twilight, Zarathustra?
He started with long steps towards Lesser Hill, and Adam was soon furtively running in order to keep up with him.
His eyes wandered furtively backward and forward between the strip of wood on the floor and the half-demolished berth.
Maggie watched him furtively, with half-closed eyes, lit with a vague interest.
The savage element in humanity--let the modern optimists who doubt its existence look at any uncultivated man (no matter how muscular), woman (no matter how beautiful), or child (no matter how young)--began to show itself furtively in his eyes, to utter itself furtively in his voice.
He came home with his manners a good deal improved; he had lost his surliness and brusqueness, and was rather pleasantly soft and smooth, now; he was furtively, and sometimes openly, ironical of speech, and given to gently touching people on the raw, but he did it with a good-natured semiconscious air that carried it off safely, and kept him from getting into trouble.
But during these earlier days of my stay they broke the Law only furtively and after dark; in the daylight there was a general atmosphere of respect for its multifarious prohibitions.
Dron was disconcerted, glanced furtively at Alpatych and again lowered his eyes.
Swiftly and furtively the man stood suddenly erect, and began to push the window slowly up.
She took one and lit it, watching him furtively all the time.