surreptitious

/ˌsər-əp-ˈti-shəs/

Middle English, from Latin surrepticius, from surreptus, past participle of surripere to snatch secretly, from sub- + rapere to seize

adjective

  1. done, made, or acquired by stealth : clandestine

  2. acting or doing something clandestinely : stealthy

secret covert stealthy furtive clandestine surreptitious underhanded mean done without attracting observation. secret implies concealment on any grounds for any motive. covert stresses the fact of not being open or declared.