discreet

dih-SKREET

meaning in plain English

Being careful not to draw attention or cause trouble by sharing private things or acting in a way that might embarrass others.

Imagine a discreet spy slipping a note under the table—quiet, unseen, never drawing attention.

for example

Loudly laughing at someone’s mistake all day is not very discreet.

Imagine you’re at a quiet meeting and someone starts telling jokes about a coworker who isn’t there. That’s not discreet—it makes everyone uncomfortable. Why? Because discreet means knowing when to keep things private or low-key.