indiscretion
Americannoun
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the characteristic or state of being indiscreet
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an indiscreet act, remark, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of indiscretion
1300–50; Middle English < Late Latin indiscrētiōn- (stem of indiscrētiō ). See in- 3, discretion
Explanation
If you commit an indiscretion you are doing something wrong that shows a lack of judgment. Perhaps stealing candy was your first indiscretion. Likely it will not be your last. You'll often hear the word indiscretion used when referring to politicians or public figures caught in a scandal. Used this way, the word implies poor judgment for both the wrong and the fact that the politician got caught. If you are going to commit an indiscretion, it's best to be a bit discreet, or subtle, about it.
Vocabulary lists containing indiscretion
The Call of the Wild
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A Doll's House
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The Importance of Being Earnest
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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.
In the early 90s the tyro thesp did a lot of theatre, with directors such as Katie Mitchell, Matthew Warchus and Sean Mathias in productions of Death of a Salesman, Les Parents Terribles and Indiscretion.
From The Guardian • Mar. 3, 2013
To convince Producer Goldwyn she took a Berlin screen test�a bit from Gloria Swanson's role in Indiscretion, which she recited in English.
From Time Magazine Archive
Indiscretion: Asked why he wasn't at the speech, he told several people what had happened.
From Time Magazine Archive
The camera finds in the terminal, as in a giant utensil, a certain metal delight, but in almost every other respect Indiscretion is, for the gifted men who made it, an indiscretion indeed.
From Time Magazine Archive
Indiscretion taught them that penance bridled wrath, impatience, and the other sinful impulses that come into the heart; it is not so.
From Letters of Catherine Benincasa by Catherine, of Siena, Saint
Definitions 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.
