discreetly

[dih-skreet-lee]

adverb

1. in a way that is careful about something of a personal or delicate nature; circumspectly.

   These protocols allow patients to have private conversations with caregivers in which their questions can be answered discreetly.

2. in a way that is not conspicuous or obvious; unobtrusively.

   The building is historic, as explained on the understated bronze plaque displayed discreetly in the entryway.

Other Word Forms

• overdiscreetly adverb
• quasi-discreetly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of discreetly¹

discreet ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Timothy drove the carriage back up to the main road and then proceeded to Ashton Place, where he discreetly stopped a short way behind the barn, out of view of the main house.

Read more on Literature

"The watchword now is re-engagement, with a dialogue that can take place discreetly, in a calm, peaceful, equal manner, but also with a view to results," said Romatet.

Read more on Barron's

“I don’t think you build new worlds or tear down old ones with a film, but you can point things out to people, discreetly,” Skarsgård says.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Instead guests in elaborate gowns and tuxedos discreetly glanced at their phones propped on tables and at the base of flower vases across the star-packed venue.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The property is discreetly walled and gated and surrounded by mature foliage.

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Related Words

• anxiously 
• attentively 
• conscientiously www.thesaurus.com
• correctly www.thesaurus.com
• deliberately 
• delicately 
• faithfully 
• fully 
• gingerly 
• laboriously 
• meticulously 
• precisely 
• prudently 
• rigorously 
• scrupulously 
• thoroughly 
• thoughtfully www.thesaurus.com
• warily