circumspect

[sur-kuhm-spekt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR circumspect ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent: circumspect behavior.

well-considered: circumspect ambition.

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 formscir·cum·spect·ly, adverbcir·cum·spect·ness, nounnon·cir·cum·spect, adjectivenon·cir·cum·spect·ly, adverbnon·cir·cum·spect·ness, nouno·ver·cir·cum·spect, adjectiveun·cir·cum·spect, adjectiveun·cir·cum·spect·ly, adverbun·cir·cum·spect·ness, noun

Synonyms for circumspect

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR circumspect ON THESAURUS.COM

1. careful, vigilant, guarded.

Antonyms for circumspect

1. careless, indiscreet.

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

Related Words for circumspectly

warily, delicately, thoroughly, laboriously, gingerly, faithfully, deliberately, correctly, fully, scrupulously, precisely, discreetly, rigorously, anxiously, conscientiously, meticulously, prudently, attentively, hesitantly, cautiously

Examples from the Web for circumspectly

Historical Examples of circumspectly

"If The Dutchan wins you get the money," replied the Trainer, circumspectly.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
Akh, Sergyi Petrvitch, when I think of it, how circumspectly we women must behave!
A Nobleman's Nest
Ivan Turgenieff
Thus with seamen: he who goes the oftenest round Cape Horn goes the most circumspectly.
Sea Stories
Various
He started off circumspectly and noiselessly, listening and peering at every step.
The War in the Air
Herbert George Wells
Then he turned on his light, circumspectly, directing its rays to the ground at his feet.
The Best Psychic Stories
Various

British Dictionary definitions for circumspectly

circumspect

adjective

cautious, prudent, or discreet

Derived Formscircumspection, 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

Word Origin and History for circumspectly

circumspect

adj.

early 15c., from Latin circumspectus "deliberate, guarded, well-considered," past participle of circumspicere "look around, take heed," from circum- "around" (see circum-) + specere "to look" (see scope (n.1)). Related: Circumspectly; circumspectness.