What does surreptitious mean?
Word: Surreptitious
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Surreptitious means done secretly or quickly, so that other people do not notice, often because it is not allowed.
Synonyms: secret, sneaky, furtive
Antonyms: open, obvious
Word origin: Comes from a Latin word meaning 'taken away secretly', from a verb meaning 'to snatch'.
How do you spell surreptitious?
Syllables: sur - rep - ti - tious
Tricky part: The ending is -titious: after the t comes ti again, said shus, so surrepticious with a c is the classic slip.
Watch out for: surrepticious, surreptious
Memory tip: It ends just like fictitious and repetitious, with the same ti-tious at the close.
Surreptitious in a sentence
Example 1: Arjun took a surreptitious look at his phone under the desk.
Example 2: The cat made a surreptitious grab for the fish while the cook's back was turned.
Example 3: She slipped a surreptitious note to her friend during assembly.
Fun Fact
Wildlife photographers often take surreptitious pictures from a hide, a small tent or hut where the birds cannot see them.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Which word is completed by filling the same letter in both blanks?
a) su_ _eptitious
b) ma_ _uerade
c) e_ _uisite
d) di_ _otomy
Show answer
a) su_ _eptitious. Only su_ _eptitious takes a matching pair, rr; exquisite needs xq, masquerade sq and dichotomy ch.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. surreptitious 2. candid 3. brittle a. stealthy b. fragile c. frank
a) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. Surreptitious and stealthy both describe secret actions; a candid reply is frank, and brittle glass is fragile.
Spell Probe
One word in the sentence is misspelt. Choose the meaning of that word:
With a surrepptitious glance at the clock, the bored speaker skipped two pages of his notes and moved straight to the vote of thanks.
a) a person who gives a talk to an audience
b) to leave out a part and move on
c) an instrument that shows the time
d) kept hidden from the people close by
Show answer
d) kept hidden from the people close by. Surrepptitious has one p too many; the word means done on the quiet.
Word Tally
Give 2 marks for each misspelt word. How many marks does this list earn? surreptitious, mischievous, conscientous, rhythm, embarass
a) 2
b) 6
c) 8
d) 4
Show answer
d) 4. Conscientious and embarrass are misspelt (2 x 2 = 4); surreptitious, mischievous and rhythm are right.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which word could replace surreptitious in 'a surreptitious smile'?
a) cheerful
b) proud
c) generous
d) covert
Show answer
d) covert
2. Which act could be called surreptitious?
a) eating a sweet under the desk in class
b) singing loudly in the school choir
c) waving to a friend across the road
d) raising your hand to answer a question
Show answer
a) eating a sweet under the desk in class
