Literary notes about stealthy (AI summary)
The term “stealthy” in literature frequently conveys the sense of quiet, almost imperceptible movement that heightens suspense and mystery. It is used to describe not only physical actions—as when a character makes secretive steps or glides silently through a scene [1, 2, 3]—but also more abstract, gradual influences that shape events or moods [4, 5]. Authors employ the word to evoke an atmosphere laden with tension, whether in depicting a figure moving like a cat through shadowy corridors [6] or describing a subtle, measured influence that brings about profound change [7]. In adventurous or sinister contexts, “stealthy” suggests both caution and intent, hinting at hidden dangers or calculated strategies [8, 9]. Thus, the word enriches narrative textures by blending the physical with the psychological, adding layers of meaning that invite readers to look closely at what lies beneath the surface.
- A low, stealthy sound came to my ears, not from the direction of Baker Street, but from the back of the very house in which we lay concealed.
— from The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - I heard a stealthy footstep and, looking up just in time, saw him peering in at the tumbled heap and holding an old-fashioned revolver in his hand.
— from The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance by H. G. Wells - Instantly I made my way back to my room, and very shortly came the stealthy steps passing once more upon their return journey.
— from The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle - One afternoon it began to freeze, and the frost increased with evening, which drew on like a stealthy tightening of bonds.
— from Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy - The shadows lengthened and crept out like stealthy, grotesque monsters across the grass.
— from The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin - The old man glided away, stooping, stealthy, cat-like, and brought the low bench.
— from The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain - Thus gradually by silent and stealthy influences are great changes wrought.
— from Twice-told tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne - So Esbern, thinking that his secret and stealthy manoeuvres did not succeed fast enough, mustered his forces openly, and went publicly forth to war.
— from The Danish History, Books I-IX by Grammaticus Saxo - I never hoped to slip away in stealthy flight; fancy not that; nor did I ever hold out the marriage torch or enter thus into alliance.
— from The Aeneid of Virgil by Virgil
