Dictionary

discreetly en · ADV

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /dᵻˈskritli/ (US)

Etymology

Etymology tree English discreet Middle English -ly English -ly English discreetly From discreet + -ly.

Meanings

1. Acting in a discreet manner; acting in a way that respects privacy or secrecy; quietly.
   • Mao was animated and following every nuance of the conversation, but I could see that he was also becoming very tired. Chou had been discreetly glancing at his watch with increasing frequency, so I decided that I should try to bring the session to a close. 1978, Richard Nixon, RN: the Memoirs of Richard Nixon, Grosset & Dunlap, →ISBN, page 563:
2. Inconspicuously.
   • And, placed discreetly among these commonplaces, a few pieces of genuine quality, bizarrely distinguished by craftsmanship from the vulgar products of the machine. 1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 150:
   • A Forest Trail and wild life hides lie 2 miles to the north-east. Blue hares, deer, wild geese, herons and duck can be discreetly observed from the hides. 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 382, about Tighnabruaich:

Forms

Antonyms

indiscreetly · bluntly · openly · tactlessly

Synonyms

cautiously · circumspectly · delicately · tactfully · prudently

Translations (16)

es disimuladamente (Acting in a discreet manner) · ca discretament (Acting in a discreet manner) · hu diszkréten (Acting in a discreet manner) · fr discrètement (Acting in a discreet manner) · ca discretament (Inconspicuously) · ko 넌지시 (Acting in a discreet manner) · pt discretamente (Acting in a discreet manner) · pl dyskretnie (Acting in a discreet manner) · ko 신중(愼重)하게 (Acting in a discreet manner) · fi huomiota herättämättömästi (Inconspicuously) · fi hienovaraisesti (Acting in a discreet manner) · pl dyskretnie (Inconspicuously) · hu tapintatosan (Acting in a discreet manner) · hu diszkréten (Inconspicuously) · fr discrètement (Inconspicuously) · cmn 谨慎的 (Acting in a discreet manner)