What does surreptitious mean?

Definitions for surreptitious
ˌsɜr əpˈtɪʃ əssur·rep·ti·tious

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word surreptitious.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. furtive, sneak(a), sneaky, stealthy, surreptitiousadjective

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

    "a furtive manner"; "a sneak attack"; "stealthy footsteps"; "a surreptitious glance at his watch"

  2. clandestine, cloak-and-dagger, hole-and-corner(a), hugger-mugger, hush-hush, secret, surreptitious, undercover, undergroundadjective

    conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods

    "clandestine intelligence operations"; "cloak-and-dagger activities behind enemy lines"; "hole-and-corner intrigue"; "secret missions"; "a secret agent"; "secret sales of arms"; "surreptitious mobilization of troops"; "an undercover investigation"; "underground resistance"

Wiktionary

  1. surreptitiousadjective

    stealthy, furtive, well hidden, covert (especially movements)

  2. Etymology: From surrepticius, from surreptus, past participle of surripere ("seize secretly, steal, pilfer"), from sub- ("under") + rapere ("to snatch").

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. SURREPTITIOUSadjective

    Done by stealth; gotten or produced fraudulently.

    Etymology: surreptitius, Latin.

    Joseph Justus Scaliger hath not translated the first; perhaps supposing it surreptitious, or unworthy so great an assertion. Brown.

    The Masorites numbred not only the sections and lines, but even the words and letters of the Old Testament, the better to secure it from surreptitious practices. Govern. of the Tongue.

    A correct copy of the Dunciad, the many surreptitious ones have rendered necessary. Letter to Publ. of Pope’s Dunciad.

ChatGPT

  1. surreptitious

    Surreptitious refers to something that is done, obtained, or performed in a secret, stealthy or stealthily manner, often in a way that attempts to avoid notice or attention. It's typically associated with actions that might be disapproved of or that is unauthorized.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Surreptitiousadjective

    done or made by stealth, or without proper authority; made or introduced fraudulently; clandestine; stealthy; as, a surreptitious passage in an old manuscript; a surreptitious removal of goods

  2. Etymology: [L. surreptitius, or subreptitius, fr. surripere, subripere, to snatch away, to withdraw privily; sub- under + rapere to snatch. See Sub-, and Ravish.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Surreptitious

    sur-rep-tish′us, adj. done by stealth or fraud.—adv. Surrepti′tiously. [L., from surripĕre, surreptumsub, under, rapĕre, to seize.]

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of surreptitious in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of surreptitious in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of surreptitious in a Sentence

  1. Michael Dreeben:

    Here George Papadopoulos have somebody who was a campaign official in the Donald Trump campaign, that he had longstanding ties to Russia-backed politicians in the Ukraine, what were the nature of those connections ? Did they provide means for surreptitious communications ? Did they provide back channels to The Russians ? Investigators will naturally look at those things.

  2. Lucy Alibar:

    I was a really bad teenager and I got my tongue pierced. I don't even remember where I did it ,but it was under very surreptitious circumstances.

  3. Representative Rob Bishop of Utah:

    This surreptitious land grab reveals that the Obama administration will stop at nothing to lock up more and more land, with the stroke of a pen. I condemn this shameful power move which makes states and citizens fearful that the federal government can invade at any time to seize more lands like bandits in the night.

  4. John Cornyn:

    Saudi Arabia has a history of surreptitious and at times malign behavior in Saudi Arabia attempts to influence American public policy and freedom of speech in our own country, in 2016, the Saudi government used shell nonprofits to trick several American veterans into lobbying on its behalf against the Justice Against State Sponsors of Terrorism Act( P.L. 114 – 222). In 2018, Saudi Arabian operatives murdered U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside its own consulate. In this 2014 file photo, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi speaks during a news conference in Manama, Bahrain. ( AP).

  5. Miguel McKelvey:

    Notably, Mr. McKelvey's email to WeWork's employees wholly ignores the specific allegations concerning the assaults, the fact that our client complained, a surreptitious photo taken of our client, etc.

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Translations for surreptitious

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"surreptitious." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/surreptitious>.

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