First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
discreet
adjective dis·creet \di-ˈskrēt\
: not likely to be seen or noticed by many people
Full Definition of DISCREET
1
: having or showing discernment or good judgment in conduct and especially in speech : prudent; especially : capable of preserving prudent silence
2
: unpretentious, modest <the warmth and discreet elegance of a civilized home — Joseph Wechsberg>
3
: unobtrusive, unnoticeable <followed at a discreet distance>
— dis·creet·ly adverb
— dis·creet·ness noun
See discreet defined for English-language learners
See discreet defined for kids
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Examples of DISCREET
- For a couple who wanted a discreet bar between the study and the living room, Quogue, New York, architect Stuart Disston designed a small-scale bar that's hidden behind … doors under the stairs and takes advantage of plumbing in an adjacent powder room. —Sallie Brady, This Old House, January/February 2006
- Without the knowledge of the exiled African National Congress leadership, he entered into a discreet dialogue with the South African government—which was reaching a similar conclusion. He later succeeded in convincing suspicious comrades of the need for a negotiated solution. —F. W. De Klerk, Time, 18 Apr. 2005
- The New York Stock Exchange, meanwhile, has proposed a rule that would bar a stock-market analyst from talking to newspapers that fail to disclose the analyst's conflicts of interest. Even the C.E.O. of Goldman Sachs, one of Wall Street's most discreet firms, has chimed in … and has extorted his peers to restore “trust in our system.” —New Yorker , 9 Dec. 2002
- Discreet disclaimers by the tourist board to the effect that “there is no evidence whatever that Prince Vlad Tepes (TSEH-pesh), or Vlad the Impaler, inhabited the castle” do nothing to discourage its notoriety as Dracula's reputed residence. Mythically, at least, this is in fact where he lived—and always will. —Erik Sandberg-Diment, New York Times, 21 June 1998
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Origin of DISCREET
Middle English, from Anglo-French discret, from Medieval Latin discretus, from Latin, past participle of discernere to separate, distinguish between — more at discern
Related to DISCREET
- Synonyms
- intelligent, judgmatic (or judgmatical), judicious, prudent
- Antonyms
- imprudent, indiscreet, injudicious
Rhymes with DISCREET
accrete, aesthete, afreet, athlete, backbeat, backseat, backstreet, bedsheet, bench seat, big beat, bolete, box pleat, box seat, break beat, broadsheet, browbeat, buckwheat, bystreet, call sheet, car seat, cheat sheet, clipsheet, cloud street, cold feet, compete, compleat, complete, conceit, concrete, crabmeat, crib sheet, deadbeat, dead heat, dead meat, deceit, defeat, delete, deplete, discrete, disseat, downbeat, drop seat, drumbeat, dutch treat, effete, elite, en suite, entreat, escheat, excrete, facete, Fleet Street, fly sheet, forcemeat, foresheet, four-peat, gamete, groundsheet, hard wheat, heartbeat, heat-treat, helpmeet, hoofbeat, hot seat, house seat, ice sheet, ill-treat, jump seat, kick pleat, love seat, mainsheet, Main Street, maltreat, mesquite, mincemeat, mistreat, offbeat, Ossete, petite, pink sheet, preheat, rap sheet, receipt, recheat, red heat, red meat, red wheat, regreet, repeat, replete, retreat, scratch sheet, secrete, side street, slip-sheet, soft wheat, spreadsheet, stand treat, swap meet, sweetmeat, tear sheet, terete, three-peat, through street, time sheet, unmeet, unseat, upbeat, vegete, volkslied, white heat
DISCREET Defined for Kids
discreet
adjective dis·creet \dis-ˈkrēt\
Definition of DISCREET for Kids
: careful not to attract attention or let out private information <“ … he must be discreet and say nothing about this visit of mine.” — Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee>
— dis·creet·ly adverb
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