Surreptitious

Pronunciation: /səˌrɛpˈtɪʃəs/

Definitions of surreptitious

adjective characterized by secrecy or stealth; sneaky

Example Sentences

A1 She took a surreptitious glance at her phone during the meeting.

A2 The cat made a surreptitious move towards the bird feeder.

B1 He made a surreptitious deal with his business partner behind closed doors.

B2 The spy used a surreptitious approach to gather information without being detected.

C1 The hacker used a series of surreptitious tactics to breach the company's security system.

C2 The politician was known for his surreptitious dealings to gain power and influence.

Examples of surreptitious in a Sentence

formal The spy made a surreptitious entrance into the enemy's headquarters.

informal She took a surreptitious peek at his phone while he was in the bathroom.

slang The pickpocket made a surreptitious move to snatch the wallet.

figurative The artist's surreptitious brush strokes added depth to the painting.

Grammatical Forms of surreptitious

• past tense: surreptitiously
• plural: surreptitious
• comparative: more surreptitious
• superlative: most surreptitious
• present tense: surreptitiously
• future tense: will be surreptitious
• perfect tense: has been surreptitious
• continuous tense: is being surreptitious
• singular: surreptitious
• positive degree: surreptitious
• infinitive: to be surreptitious
• gerund: surreptitiously
• participle: surreptitiously

Origin and Evolution of surreptitious

First Known Use: 0015 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'surreptitious' originated from the Latin word 'surrepticius', which is derived from the verb 'surreptus' meaning 'stolen'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to describe something done in a secret or sneaky way, 'surreptitious' has evolved to also encompass the idea of something being done in a sly or deceitful manner.