definitions

circumspect

[ sur-kuhm-spekt ]
/ ˈsɜr kəmˌspɛkt /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR circumspect ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent: circumspect behavior.
well-considered: circumspect ambition.

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RELATED WORDS

prudent, wary, scrupulous, meticulous, discriminating, judicious, cagey, vigilant, careful, considerate, attentive, calculating, canny, chary, deliberate, gingerly, guarded, heedful, observant, politic

Nearby words

circumscribed myxedema, circumscribed scleroderma, circumscript, circumscription, circumsolar, circumspect, circumspection, circumspective, circumstance, circumstanced, circumstantial

Origin of circumspect

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin circumspectus (past participle of circumspicere to look around), equivalent to circum- circum- + spec(ere) to look + -tus past participle suffix

Related forms

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for circumspect

British Dictionary definitions for circumspect

circumspect

/ (ˈsɜːkəmˌspɛkt) /

adjective

cautious, prudent, or discreet

Derived Forms

circumspection, nouncircumspective, adjectivecircumspectly, adverb

Word Origin for circumspect

C15: from Latin circumspectus, from circum- + specere to look
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012