To act surreptitiously is to do it surreptitiously.
The Latin word surrepticius came into Spanish as surrepticio . This adjective allows us to describe what is carried out or achieved with subrepence .
Disguised or hidden
The idea of subreption, meanwhile, refers to an action carried out in a hidden or covert manner. That is why surreptitious is something hidden or hidden . For example: “These predators usually surprise their prey with surreptitious attacks” , “The team captain criticized the technical director in a surreptitious way, but that many noticed” , “The government of the Asian nation accused the authorities of the neighboring country of supporting rebel groups through surreptitious financing.”
Let's look at an analysis of the three examples set out in the previous paragraph to further understand the concept of surreptitiousness . In the first, the sender describes with this adjective the attacks carried out by certain predators, since they do so in a surprising way to enhance their effectiveness. We continue with an apparently surreptitious criticism, because its sender conceals it to the point that many people do not perceive it.
The third example speaks of a government that accuses the authorities of another country of promoting the rebellion of certain groups through the economic support that it surreptitiously grants them. Of these three sentences, only the first describes a practice that does not have a negative value, but rather takes advantage of dissimulation to enhance the results of an action necessary for survival.
The other two, on the other hand, show situations in which the actions have hurtful or reprehensible objectives, and it is precisely in light of the recognition of these characteristics that their authors decide to hide them, to prevent their names from being tarnished by them.
Example situations
Let's take the case of two people who maintain a clandestine romantic relationship . Each one has their formal partner with whom they share a public life. Therefore, when these lovers decide to see each other, they have surreptitious encounters , far from prying eyes. In this way, they try to cover up the link . It is worth mentioning that in this case the behavior that the protagonists of the example try to cover up is negative, since it is a deception, a violation of the trust that their respective partners have in them.
Let's now imagine the supporter of a soccer team who is forced to attend a game surrounded by rival fans. When his team scores a goal, he cannot contain a surreptitious celebration , which he tries to make it go unnoticed by those around him. Here we find ourselves in a situation that, if not concealed, could cause the individual consequences of varying severity. Depending on the weather in the stadium, if fans of the team he pretends to respect notice his celebration, they could cause him physical harm .
Cunning is necessary to be able to act surreptitiously.
Whoever adopts surreptitious behavior , in this framework, seeks to ensure that his actions are not detected by others. A political leader who receives bribes does not externalize these acts since he knows that they constitute a crime: in this way, he acts surreptitiously. A child who takes candy from a jar when it is prohibited by his parents also resorts to surreptitious behavior to avoid the consequences.
Throughout these paragraphs we have seen different situations in which subjects seek to hide their actions as much as possible , which usually have a negative motivation . Whether theft or deception, they are based on harmful desires, which should be combated through reflection and personal development, rather than covertly. However, in some cases the intentions are positive, or at least they do not cause harm to anyone, but due to various contextual issues it is advisable to act surreptitiously to avoid potential negative consequences.