YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

discretion

Noun

IPA /dɪˈskreʃn/

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Meaning in plain English

Care in what you say or do so that private information stays private and nobody is unnecessarily embarrassed.

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Pronunciation

discretion/dɪˈskreʃn/

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Examples in context

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Please use discretion when discussing our friend's personal news.
The assistant handled the confidential documents with great discretion.

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Please use ________ when discussing our friend's personal news.

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discretion — Care in what you say or do so that private information stays private and nobody is unnecessarily embarrassed.

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Care in what you say or do so that private information stays private and nobody is unnecessarily embarrassed.

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Word origin

From Latin discretio through French, connected with discernere, meaning to separate or distinguish.

Did you know?

Someone described as the soul of discretion can be trusted with private matters.

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