stealthy

adjective

ˈstel-thē 

stealthier; stealthiest

1

: slow, deliberate, and secret in action or character

2

a

: intended to escape observation : furtive

b

: designed to produce a very weak radar return

a stealthy airplane

stealthily

ˈstel-thə-lē 

adverb

stealthiness

ˈstel-thē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• furtive
• shady
• shifty
• slippery
• sly
• sneaking
• sneaky

Choose the Right Synonym for stealthy

secret, covert, stealthy, furtive, clandestine, surreptitious, underhanded mean done without attracting observation.

secret implies concealment on any grounds for any motive.

met at a secret location

covert stresses the fact of not being open or declared.

covert intelligence operations

stealthy suggests taking pains to avoid being seen or heard especially in some misdoing.

the stealthy step of a burglar

furtive implies a sly or cautious stealthiness.

lovers exchanging furtive glances

clandestine implies secrecy usually for an evil, illicit, or unauthorized purpose and often emphasizes the fear of being discovered.

a clandestine meeting of conspirators

surreptitious applies to action or behavior done secretly often with skillful avoidance of detection and in violation of custom, law, or authority.

the surreptitious stockpiling of weapons

underhanded stresses fraud or deception.

an underhanded trick

Examples of stealthy in a Sentence

the stealthy movements of the crocodile

cats are among the stealthiest of stalkers

Recent Examples on the Web

The ergonomic properties of black zirconium oxide ceramic, which is light and comfortable to wear, are bested only by its stealthy appearance, sleek by definition. —Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2025

The cybersecurity team also highlighted the stealthy nature of the attack, which primarily targeted media professionals, educational institutions and government agencies. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2025

That's almost impossible to tell, given the stealthy nature of hacking and intercepting signals intelligence or electronic communications like the chat messages shared on Signal. —Josh Meyer, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025

Since launching back in 2019, Storyteller has become a master of Sprinter 144 AWD camper vans, installing everything from beastly off-road packages, to stealthy war paint, to Swiss Army-grade interior versatility. —New Atlas, 27 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stealthy

• healthy
• wealthy
• unhealthy

Kids Definition

stealthy

adjective

ˈstel-thē 

stealthier; stealthiest

1

: slow, deliberate, and secret in action or character

2

: intended to escape observation : furtive

stealthily

-thə-lē 

adverb