好词典

discreetly

UK //dɪˈskriːtli//US //dɪˈskriːtli//

词源

源自中古英语 discreet,借自古法语 discret,最终来自拉丁语 discretus(分开的、有辨别力的),与 discern(辨别)同源。

adverb

❶ 谨慎地、不引人注目地行事,避免引起注意或尴尬。常用于描述处理敏感事务或私人话题时的行为方式。

“She discreetly slipped the note into his pocket.”

(她悄悄地把纸条塞进了他的口袋。)

“The waiter discreetly informed us about the dress code.”

(服务员谨慎地告知了我们着装要求。)

同义词:carefully, tactfully, unobtrusively

常见短语

act discreetly — 谨慎行事,特指在敏感场合避免引起注意的行为方式。

“Journalists must act discreetly when investigating sensitive topics.”

(记者调查敏感话题时必须谨慎行事。)