# discreet

Pronunciation: say "di-SKREET" /dɪˈskɹiːt/

## Adjective

1. Careful to respect privacy or secrecy, and quiet and tactful so as not to cause embarrassment.
   - Simple: Careful to keep private things private and to act quietly so no one is embarrassed.
   - _With a discreet cough, the waiter let them know the restaurant was about to close._
   - _The senator's assistant was always discreet about her boss's private life._
2. Unobtrusive enough not to attract attention, anger, or challenge.
   - Simple: Quiet and not easy to notice, so it doesn't catch people's eye or upset anyone.
   - _The bodyguards followed the singer through the crowd at a discreet distance._
   - _Discreet signs in the lobby point guests toward the side entrance._

## Origin

From Middle English discrete, from Old French discret, from Latin discrētus, the past participle of discernere. It is a doublet of discrete.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/discreet (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).