discreet

CEFRB2

/dɪˈskɹiːt/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Careful to keep information private and avoid attracting attention.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Not drawing attention, anger or challenge; inconspicuous.

Examples

  • It might be discreet of you to bend a little to the prevailing wind.

  • The detective made a discreet inquiry about the suspect's background.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meaning

  1. Respectful of privacy or secrecy; exercising caution in order to avoid causing embarrassment; quiet; diplomatic.

More examples

In context

  • To do him justice, he is a discreet man.

  • John just doesn't understand that laughing at Mary all day is not very discreet.

  • With a discreet gesture, she reminded him to mind his manners.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank spy avoided detection by moving silently through the dim hallway.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English discrete, from Old French discret, from Latin discrētus, from past participle of discernere. Doublet of discrete.