General English Flashcards
(4 cards)
furtive
adjective
fur·tive ˈfər-tiv
Polish ukradkowy, potajemny, skryty
ukradkiem
1 a: done in a quiet and secretive way to avoid being noticed : surreptitious
a furtive glance
exchanged furtive smiles
b: expressive of stealth : sly
had a furtive look about him
2: obtained underhandedly : stolen
furtive gains
It implies a sly or cautious stealthiness.
furtively adverb
furtiveness noun
Synonyms: shady, shifty, slippery, sly, sneaking, sneaky, stealthy
Examples:
Several of these involve a furtive religious cult known as the Scars — its adherents have a way of pussyfooting through the forest and doing absolutely horrible things to nonbelievers.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 12 Apr. 2025
Despite fluorescent lights, the space felt furtive.
—Hazlitt, 5 Mar. 2025
On that furtive call with Reacher, Duffy tells him the pickup truck and the Audi Richard Beck’s bodyguard were driving in the same police lot.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
alacrity
noun
alac·ri·ty ə-ˈla-krə-tē
Polish: ochota, zapał entuzjazm
1. : promptness in response : cheerful readiness
“accepted the invitation with alacrity
alacritous “
ə-ˈla-krə-təs
adjective
2. Synonyms: amenability, gameness, goodwill, obligingness, willingness
capsize
verb
cap·size ˈkap-ˌsīz kap-ˈsīz
capsized; capsizing
: to cause to overturn
“capsize a canoe”
intransitive verb
: to become upset or overturned : turn over
“the canoe capsized”
Synonyms: overturn, turn over, upset
Example:
More than a dozen New York City college students were taken to the hospital after their row boat capsized in Eastchester Bay.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 6 Apr. 2025
