Adjacent Words

Clandestine definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CLANDESTINE, a. Secret; private; hidden; withdrawn from public view. It often bears an ill sense, as implying craft or deception, or evil design.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods; "clandestine intelligence operations"; "cloak-and-dagger activities behind enemy lines"; "hole-and-corner intrigue"; "secret missions"; "a secret agent"; "secret sales of arms"; "surreptitious mobilization of troops"; "an undercover investigation"; "underground resistance" [syn: clandestine, cloak-and-dagger, hole-and- corner, hugger-mugger, hush-hush, secret, surreptitious, undercover, underground]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle French or Latin; Middle French clandestin, from Latin clandestinus, from clam secretly; akin to Latin celare to hide — more at hell Date: circa 1528 marked by, held in, or conducted with secrecy ; surreptitious <a clandestine love affair> Synonyms: see secret • clandestinely adverb • clandestineness noun • clandestinity noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. surreptitious, secret. Derivatives: clandestinely adv. clandestinity n. Etymology: F clandestin or L clandestinus f. clam secretly

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Clandestine Clan*des"tine, a. [L. clandestinus, fr. clam secretly; akin to celare, E. conceal: cf. F. clandestin.] Conducted with secrecy; withdrawn from public notice, usually for an evil purpose; kept secret; hidden; private; underhand; as, a clandestine marriage. --Locke. Syn: Hidden; secret; private; concealed; underhand; sly; stealthy; surreptitious; furtive; fraudulent. -- Clan*des"tine*ly, adv. -- Clan*des"tine*ness, n.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Something that is clandestine is hidden or kept secret, often because it is illegal. (FORMAL) ...their clandestine meetings. = secret ADJ: usu ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Concealed (for a bad purpose), secret, hidden, private, underhand, underhanded, sly.

Moby Thesaurus

back-door, backstairs, covert, feline, furtive, hidlings, hole-and-corner, hugger-mugger, privy, quiet, shifty, skulking, slinking, slinky, sly, sneaking, sneaky, stealthy, surreptitious, under-the-counter, under-the-table, undercover, underground, underhand, underhanded, unobtrusive