discretion

American  

[dih-skresh-uhn] / dɪˈskrɛʃ ən /

noun

1. 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.

2. 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

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idioms

1. at discretion,  at one's option or pleasure.

   They were allowed to work overtime at discretion.

discretion British  

/ dɪˈskrɛʃən /

noun

1. the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid social embarrassment or distress

2. 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 )

3. the age at which a person is considered to be able to manage his own affairs

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discretion More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing discretion

• throw caution (discretion) to the winds

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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

Example Sentences

The text of the law, however, gives the Justice Department and the attorney general, Pam Bondi, significant discretion in deciding what exactly to release and what to withhold from the public.

From Salon

"I think... the president will give me a lot of space and discretion to get to the deal," he told Ushakov.

From Barron's

The index provider has discretion, however, in choosing when and how to make any changes or even to forgo changes, as it happened in June.

From MarketWatch

The change doesn’t necessarily mean the membership requirement is going away, but clarifies that “requiring association membership is a matter of local discretion,” according to a document outlining the recommendations.

From Barron's

I want every game to have a clock that can be stopped for injuries, VAR and excessive time-wasting - at the discretion of the referee.

From BBC

Related Words

• attention
• foresight
• maturity
• prudence
• responsibility
• tact
• vigilance
• wisdom