discretion
Americannoun
-
the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgment; freedom of judgment or choice.
It is entirely within my discretion whether I will go or stay.
-
the quality of being discreet, especially with reference to one's own actions or speech; prudence or decorum.
Throwing all discretion to the winds, he blurted out the truth.
- Synonyms:
- sense, discrimination, wisdom, judgment
idioms
noun
-
the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid social embarrassment or distress
-
freedom or authority to make judgments and to act as one sees fit (esp in the phrases at one's own discretion, at the discretion of )
-
the age at which a person is considered to be able to manage his own affairs
Etymology
Origin of discretion
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English discrecioun, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin discrētiōn-, stem of discrētiō “separation”; equivalent to discreet + -ion
Explanation
If you have the freedom to decide something on your own, the decision is left to your discretion. You're in charge. Discretion traces back to the Latin verb discernere, "to separate, to discern," from the prefix dis-, "off, away," plus cernere, "separate, sift." If you use discretion, you sift away what is not desirable, keeping only the good. If you have the freedom to choose, something is "at your discretion." Watch out when you hear the phrase "viewer discretion advised" on TV or at the movies — you will most likely encounter profanity and violence.
Vocabulary lists containing discretion
Fever 1793
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The Things They Carried
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The Tempest
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
My focus is not on the substantive merits of the charges, the government’s exercise of its prosecutorial discretion to pursue these charges, or the close-to-an-election timing of the initiation of the prosecution.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
Under the law, the president, whose position is otherwise largely ceremonial, is afforded broad discretion, with no guidelines on how to make the choice.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
According to the Saudi interior ministry, the two Bangladeshi nationals were convicted and sentenced to death under "tazir", which in Islamic law refers to punishments left to the discretion of the judge.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
The vote of five siblings to sell the shares triggered the termination clause in the trust, and the filing argues that the trust doesn’t grant trustees discretion to disregard a valid vote to terminate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Even then, however, they assured Lawrence that the funds could be disbursed “subject to your discretion without the usual University restrictions.”
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
