furtively

Definition of furtivelynext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of furtively Unlike Monday's burial for Princess Irene, which follows a Saturday prayer service in Madrid and a funeral Monday at Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, the Tatoi interment for Sofia's mother, Queen Federica of Greece, was not official, and took place almost furtively. Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 18 Jan. 2026 This has become the central theme of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City—probably the most chaotic show in its franchise—whose characters are always trying to root out which of their frenemies is furtively digging up dirt and spreading rumors about their legal or financial woes. Judy Berman, Time, 5 Nov. 2025 Changing congressional maps in a bid to ensure one party’s victory over another — called gerrymandering — has typically been done more furtively. Jesse Bedayn, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for furtively
Adverb
  • Haslach also admitted to surreptitiously taking a photo of a minor in a swimsuit by positioning his cellphone under a classroom desk.
    Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 1 May 2026
  • Sometimes the batteries on the trackers would run low, and McGovern’s team would need to remove and recharge the devices, before surreptitiously replacing them.
    Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
  • That meant the magma could easily, and stealthily, pry its way through the crust, rather than having to smash through solid rock.
    Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2026
  • As Adrian Van Young put it in the Southwest Review, the book’s draw is stealthily structural.
    Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
Adverb
  • Early modern Europe was not an ideal place to enforce intellectual property rights, which in those days existed only when technologies could be secretively monopolized by a guild.
    Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017
Adverb
  • Pumpkin Seeds Seeds are sneakily a great source of protein, and one of the best ones experts love is pumpkin seeds.
    Philipp Wehsack, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Zevin writes gentle books, seemingly cozy but sneakily profound.
    The Know, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
Adverb
  • To help pay the informants covertly, prosecutors say SPLC illegally set up shell accounts in order to funnel funds their way -- with a total of more than $3 million going to informants between 2014 and 2023.
    Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
  • To critics, this kind of tangled spending dynamic reflects an increasingly secretive web of money built to covertly distribute money from billionaire donors.
    Gabe Kaminsky, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Adverb
  • Other examples of politically motivated pirate radio can be found around the world, some of them clandestinely backed by governmental intelligence agencies, but many of them existing as truly grassroots endeavors.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
  • The audio recordings, shared by outlets including VSquare, Frontstory, Delfi Estonia, the Insider, and the Investigative Centre of Jan Kuciak, seem to have been clandestinely gathered.
    Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 8 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Furtively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/furtively. Accessed 4 May. 2026.

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