discreetly

discreetly — adverb

1. acting or speaking with careful self-control so that other people are not bother

1.adverbC1
Definition

acting or speaking with careful self-control so that other people are not bothered, embarrassed, or made aware of something you do not want them to know

Example

Daichi discreetly slipped the envelope into his briefcase while no one was watching.

discreetly + verb of movement (slip)

The receptionist discreetly informed us that the manager was in a meeting.

discreetly + verb of communication (inform)

Common collocations
  • ask discreetly
  • inform discreetly
  • discreetly slip
  • discreetly check
  • discreetly leave
Synonyms
  • quietly

    emphasises lack of noise rather than tact; less formal

  • tactfully

    focuses on avoiding offence in communication specifically

  • unobtrusively

    more formal; stresses not drawing any attention at all

  • privately

    suggests the action is hidden from others' knowledge entirely

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

discreetly + verb

verb + discreetly

Usage Note

Commonly used with verbs of communication (ask, inform, mention, tell) and verbs of movement (slip, leave, place, escort). Pre-verbal position is more frequent but the adverb can also follow the verb when emphasis is needed.

Common Mistakes

He discreetly separated the two groups of papers.
He discretely separated the two groups of papers.
'discreetly' means tactfully or cautiously, while 'discretely' means separately or as distinct units.

Word family

  • discreet
    adjectiveB2
  • discretion
    nounC1
  • indiscreet
    adjectiveC1
  • indiscreetly
    adverbC2
  • indiscretion
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four words describe doing something without drawing unwanted attention, but each has a different focus. Quietly is the broadest and least formal — it simply means making little or no sound, but does not carry the added sense of social sensitivity that discreetly does. Tactfully specifically applies to communication: you say something in a way that avoids upsetting the listener. Unobtrusively is more formal and focuses on not interfering with or interrupting a situation. Privately suggests the action is concealed from others, even if it might be noticeable to the person involved. For example, you might quietly leave a room (no noise), privately tell a friend bad news (in confidence), tactfully correct a colleague (to avoid offence), or unobtrusively move to the back of a crowd (without causing a stir). Discreetly combines elements of all of these: it involves being both careful and sensitive, often in social or professional contexts.

quietly ↗tactfullyunobtrusivelyprivately ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • act discreetly
  • behave discreetly
  • handle something discreetly
  • mention something discreetly

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed by adding the adverbial suffix -ly to the adjective discreet. Discreet comes from Old French discret, which in turn comes from Latin discretus, meaning 'separated, distinguished.' The meaning shifted from 'capable of distinguishing or making good judgments' to 'showing good judgment in behaviour,' and eventually to 'tactful and cautious.' The spelling with -ee- (discreet) emerged in the 16th century, influenced by words like complete and concrete, to distinguish it from discrete (with -e-), which retained the original 'separate' meaning.