Skip to content
GREMockTests
GRE vocabulary

furtive

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore F words

done secretly to avoid being noticed

Word origin: From Latin fur, thief, via furtivus, stolen.

Test your vocabulary in a real test Full-length · no signup · instant score
In a sentence

Furtive in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing furtive in a sentence.

She cast a furtive glance at the door before slipping the note into her bag.

The clerk cast a furtive glance at the ledger before slipping it back into the drawer.

Usage & nuance

Using “furtive” well

Furtive describes behavior done secretly to avoid notice, with a connotation of guilt or stealth. It is more suggestive of sneaking than the neutral word secret.

Common questions

Questions about “furtive

Furtive (adjective) means done secretly to avoid being noticed
Here is furtive used in an example sentence: "She cast a furtive glance at the door before slipping the note into her bag." Another example: "The clerk cast a furtive glance at the ledger before slipping it back into the drawer."
Common synonyms for furtive include stealthy, surreptitious, clandestine.
Antonyms of furtive include open, overt, candid.
Clusters with stealthy, surreptitious, and clandestine, opposed by open, overt, and candid. Pair it with surreptitious, since both denote secrecy aimed at avoiding detection.
Yes. Furtive is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

See these words the way the GRE tests them.

Definitions in isolation do not stick. Sit a free, full-length GRE mock and meet this vocabulary inside real text completion and sentence equivalence questions, with your score and a worked solution for every answer.