clandestine

Intermediatezipf 3.21

Pronunciation

/klænˈdɛstɪn/(klan-DES-tin)

Part of speech

adjectiveformal

Chinese

秘密的；暗中进行的（因不合法或不被允许而隐秘）

Definition

Kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit.

Word family

  • clandestinely/klænˈdɛstɪnli/(adv)秘密地

Collocations

  • clandestine meeting
  • clandestine operation
  • clandestine affair
  • clandestine activities

Examples

  1. 1.The spies held clandestine meetings in an abandoned warehouse. (secret, covert)
  2. 2.The organization ran a clandestine smuggling network for decades. (hidden, illegal)

Synonyms

  • covert/ˈkʌvət/— hidden, official secrecy
  • surreptitious/ˌsʌrəpˈtɪʃəs/— sneaky, trying not to be noticed
  • furtive/ˈfɜːtɪv/— nervous secrecy, guilty

Etymology

from Latin "clandestinus" = secret — "clam" = secretly