Discretion

/dɪˈskrɛʃən/

Meaning & Definition

noun

The quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offense or revealing private information.

She handled the sensitive situation with great discretion.

The freedom to decide what should be done in a particular situation.

The teacher has the discretion to assign extra credit as she sees fit.

The right or ability to make choices based on judgment.

It is up to the judge's discretion to determine the severity of the sentence.

Middle English: from Old French discretion or Latin discretio(n-), from discernere 'to separate'

at one's discretion

according to one's own judgment or choice

discretion is the better part of valor

caution is preferable to rashness

leave it to discretion

to allow someone to decide what to do

discreet

careful and circumspect in one's speech or actions

discretionary

available for use at the discretion of the user

To play it cool

He played it cool and didn't reveal too much at the meeting.

Keep it under wraps

Let's keep this under wraps until we have the full plan.