indiscretion

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noun in·dis·cre·tion \ ˌin-di-ˈskre-shən \

Definition of indiscretion

1 :lack of discretion :imprudence

dietary indiscretion

2 a :something (such as an act or remark) marked by lack of discretion

b :an act at variance with the accepted morality of a society

resigned because of financial indiscretions

See indiscretion defined for English-language learners

See indiscretion defined for kids

Examples of indiscretion in a Sentence

She committed a few minor indiscretions.
a single indiscretion can get someone kicked out of that exclusive club

Recent Examples of indiscretion from the Web

But there’s a big difference between trying to catch someone in an indiscretion and checking to see if someone made it home okay.

— beca grimm, GQ, "Location-Sharing Is Caring When You're in a Relationship," 30 Aug. 2017
But after its youthful indiscretion, India has matured.

— pradheep j. shanker, National Review, "India at 70: The Asian Tiger Rising," 15 Aug. 2017
None were ever enough to bring charges, though, and the Cowboys repeatedly treated them like youthful indiscretions.

— chris korman, USA TODAY, "Jerry Jones, Ezekiel Elliott need to find a way to accept truth," 11 Aug. 2017
The indiscretions are similar to ones suffered by Facebook and Twitter, where chatbots used expletives and even created their own language.

— pei li and adam jourdan, The Christian Science Monitor, "Chinese chatbots go rogue on political matters," 4 Aug. 2017
And at times, Rooney has not helped himself: the tawdry youthful indiscretions, the unseemly contract brinkmanship, the occasional on-field outburst at his own supporters, as at the 2010 World Cup.

— rory smith, New York Times, "Rooney Returns to Everton as a Champion but Not a Conqueror," 9 July 2017
In this case, however, indiscretion is not a risk but a certainty.

— miss manners, star-telegram.com, "In polite society, politics deserves the silent treatment," 23 June 2017
Executives at Uber had looked to the Holder report as a likely turning point in their efforts to put the company’s past indiscretions behind them and provide a road map for the future.

— eric newcomer, Philly.com, "Uber CEO to take leave, diminished role after workplace scandals," 13 June 2017
Many Democrats insisted that Clinton’s sexual indiscretions were private, even though Lewinsky had been Clinton’s employee, and Clinton had used the power of his office to try to buy her silence.

— peter beinart, The Atlantic, "Say It Ain't So Joe!," 19 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'indiscretion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of indiscretion

14th century

indiscretion Synonyms

Synonyms

familiarity, faux pas, gaff, gaffe, impropriety, solecism

Antonyms

amenity, attention, civility, courtesy, formality, gesture, pleasantry

Related Words

blunder, error, flub, fumble, goof, lapse, miscue, misstep, mistake, oversight, slip, slipup, stumble; discourtesy, incivility, offense (or offence); boner, howler; foul-up, muff; misapprehension, miscalculation, misconception, misjudgment, misstatement, misunderstanding

Near Antonyms

form, manners, mores, proprieties

INDISCRETION Defined for English Language Learners

indiscretion

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noun

Definition of indiscretion for English Language Learners

: lack of good judgment or care in behavior and especially in speech : lack of discretion
: an act or remark that shows a lack of good judgment : an indiscreet act or remark