DictionaryAI

discrete

adjective
di-SKREET/dɪˈskɹiːt/

Often confused with discreet

7 meanings of discrete

Practice

  1. 1
    separate unitsadjective
    Separate from the others and not joined to them, so each one stands on its own.

    The project is split into three discrete steps.

    Her week is broken into discrete blocks of time for work, school and rest.

    UsageDon't mix it up with discreet, which means careful and quiet.

    Similarseparate, distinct, individual

    Oppositecontinuous, connected

    Note
  2. 2
    countable valuesadjective
    In math, made up of separate values that can be counted one by one.

    The number of people in a room is discrete: you can have 3 or 4, but not 3.5.

    A die gives discrete results, from one up to six.

    Oppositecontinuous

    Note
  3. 3
    quiet and carefuladjectivenonstandard
    Obsolete form of discreet. People still often write it by mistake, but the correct spelling for this meaning is discreet.
    Note
  4. 4
    electronic partsadjective
    Made with separate electronic parts, not with one chip that holds them all.

    This old radio has a discrete circuit, with every transistor in its own place on the board.

    Some music fans prefer discrete amplifiers to ones built around a single chip.

    Oppositeintegrated

    Note
  5. 5
    open sets (math)adjective
    In math, describes a space where every single point, taken alone, is an open set.

    Any set can be given the discrete topology, where every point is open.

    In a discrete space, every point sits alone, with no other points near it.

    Note
  6. 6
    sound channelsadjective
    With each sound channel kept fully separate, not combined into one signal with the others.

    The movie has discrete surround sound, so each speaker plays its own track.

    With a discrete system, a voice meant for the back speaker never comes out of the front ones.

    Note

Less common meaning

  1. 7
    adjective
    Describes a statement that has a part setting one idea apart from or against another.
    "I resign my life, but not my honour" is a discrete proposition.
    Here, discrete means set up to put one part against another, using but.

Practice

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Origin

It comes from a form of a Latin verb meaning "to divide". It is the same word in origin as discreet.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

  • Discrete derives from Latin discrētus, a participle of discernō, meaning “to divide”. en.wiktionary.org
  • Discrete and discreet share the same etymological origin. en.wiktionary.org