discreetly
Americanadverb
-
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.
-
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
Etymology
Origin of discreetly
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.
The world of prepping can be a very secretive place, ranging from "discreetly storing supplies to full 'lone wolf' isolation, much of the time to avoid stigma and labelling" with other focus on community building.
From BBC
The colleague found the film in a safe that belonged to her late father, who worked in a Boeing film lab and could have developed film discreetly.
Security officials dressed in Barbour jackets and earpieces discreetly corralled the crowd.
"We very discreetly make PA a part of it and use his 'aura and access'," he wrote.
From BBC
Aoki commissions the acerbic Jack to find and return his painting discreetly: “Nose around. Be a bit of a pest. There’s no one better than you to do that.”
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.
