SURREPTITIOUSLY Synonyms: 27 Similar and Opposite Words

surreptitiously

adverb

as in stealthily

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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 surreptitiously For years, scammers would surreptitiously install skimming devices on card readers at ATMs, gas pumps and corner stores. — Eli Hager, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026 Among the most intriguing possibilities, Brouhard said, is that Gulf nations exporting oil are surreptitiously paying Iran fees in exchange for safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz – even as they’re secured by US military escorts. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026 In the first image above, Wardle can be seen using a simple terminal command to surreptitiously send a prompt to the Meta endpoint. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026 There has been a string of alarming incidents in which swarms of rogue AI agents have hacked online platforms such as Hugging Face and surreptitiously communicated with one another on message boards. — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026 In June, Wilder resident Tyler Cain filed a tort claim against the city, alleging the city’s three Flock Safety cameras were acquired surreptitiously and outside the measure of the law. — Noah Daly september 2, Idaho Statesman, 2 Sep. 2026 For every song ingested into these LLMs, ALL of the creative elements that went into the track have been surreptitiously appropriated. — David Barber, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026 That's not the first time a president surreptitiously switched planes. — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026 Two senior health-ministry officials, speaking anonymously, told the magazine that at least 30,000 dead (and possibly many more) was a likelier figure, and one that was corroborated by a group of first responders who collected data surreptitiously. — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for surreptitiously

Adverb

There had been small tweaks season to season as the series traveled to different locations — all of them telegraphed in the start-of-production slate photos that stealthily revealed the new logo (including the Season 4 one).

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
The spread of the video was aided by clippers, accounts that post hundreds of clips in a single day and are paid by companies to stealthily link these viral moments to their platforms.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of stealthily

Adverb

There are cities where rats are glimpsed at night, furtively scurrying into a dark corner or among the train tracks.

— David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2026
Jordan may wish to exact revenge, and Eddy may want to find one of the victims who has vanished, but both have to go about their work furtively.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of furtively

Adverb

But the two still co-parented well, and developed a teasing relationship, with McQueen sneakily making sure to marry his last wife, model Barbara Minty, before Adams married her second husband Alvin Toffel in 1980.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
It may be branded a Gen Z series, but FX’s Adults is sneakily quite a throwback.

— Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of sneakily

Adverb

Either form can be easily and covertly placed into an unsuspecting person’s beverage or food.

— Christopher P. Holstege, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2026
While renting a charming Mediterranean Revival-style villa in the Hollywood Hills, the FBI tapped her phone lines and the CIA covertly intercepted and opened her mail.

— Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of covertly

Adverb

And the regime has trustees in many surrounding nations who secretively conduct transactions for the regime in the form of US dollars, cryptocurrency or other means to avoid detection, according to Brown.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
The state, in partnership with the federal government, built the camp quickly and secretively and opened it in July.

— Eve Samples, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026

Definition of secretively

Adverb

Because Iran is a theocratic dictatorship that routinely arrests and in some cases executes journalists, Western reporters hoping to cover the country must either work clandestinely or submit to government supervision.

— James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
Soon afterward, social media commenters were speculating about whether Sierra broke into the office or was caught clandestinely shredding documents.

— Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 10 July 2026

Definition of clandestinely

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surreptitious

surreptitiously

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“Surreptitiously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surreptitiously. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of surreptitiously

adverb

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