discreet
adjectiveWord Family
- discreet adjective (≠ indiscreet)
- discretion noun (≠ indiscretion)
careful in what you say or do, in order to keep something secret or to avoid causing difficulty for somebody or making them feel embarrassed （言行）谨慎的，慎重的；考虑周到的 He was always very discreet about his love affairs. 他对两性关系一贯谨小慎微。 You ought to make a few discreet enquiries before you sign anything. 你应该审慎地询问清楚再签字。 A discreet glance at the clock told me the interview had lasted an hour. 谨慎地看了一眼时钟，告诉我面试已经持续了一个小时。
Oxford Collocations DictionaryDiscreet is used with these nouns:- advertisement
- distance
- enquiry
- …
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French discret, from Latin discretus ‘separate’, past participle of discernere ‘discern’, the sense arising from late Latin discretio ‘separation’, from discernere, from dis- ‘apart’ + cernere ‘to separate’. Compare with discrete.