1
as in prudence
the ability to make intelligent decisions especially in everyday matters
we'll rely on your discretion in handling this accusation of cheating
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in option
the power, right, or opportunity to choose
ambassadorships are generally regarded as subject to the president's discretion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in restraint
the checking of one's true feelings and impulses when dealing with others
in that job you'll be expected to show discretion and act like a professional at all times
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of discretion
Pan and Childs concluded that Kelly abused his discretion and failed to weigh other factors favoring Perlmutter's request for a preliminary injunction.
—
Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
The Chief has authority and discretion over all law enforcement actions.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2025
The federal government can use its discretion to turn down requests for federal disaster aid, and has in the past.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 24 Oct. 2025
The club’s hallmark was its discretion, and what went on in the labyrinth of rooms that made up the basement club was never repeated in the outside world.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discretion
Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
The Chief has authority and discretion over all law enforcement actions.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2025
The federal government can use its discretion to turn down requests for federal disaster aid, and has in the past.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 24 Oct. 2025
The club’s hallmark was its discretion, and what went on in the labyrinth of rooms that made up the basement club was never repeated in the outside world.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discretion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discretion
Noun
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Additionally, a boom-and-bust cycle in the early 2000s informs some of the company’s prudence on expansion.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
19 Sep. 2025
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Meanwhile, Taiwan’s military should exercise prudence in its rules of engagement and not assume that every close call is intentional.—
JOEL WUTHNOW,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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That will give defensive coordinator Zach Orr more options with his pressure packages and perhaps create less dependence on blitzes to harass the quarterback.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
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With a more silver-forward tone than the other evergreen-heavy garlands on this list, Pottery Barn’s faux juniper option is sure to provide a welcome contrast from the rest of your holiday decor.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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While objecting to restraints, Robinson’s attorneys agree with the sheriff that the court should limit or ban video and photographic coverage of proceedings.—
Stepheny Price , Melissa Chrise,
FOXNews.com,
24 Oct. 2025
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To complement the architecture’s rigor, the current owners turned to designer André Mellone of Studio Mellone, known for his elegant restraint and understanding of proportion.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In an intense Instagram post Thursday, her 44th, the mother of three included various family album style photos over the last few years, plus some words of wisdom.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
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And that does come with wisdom, but that also comes with fury.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The best heroes are beloved because their choices — admirable, messy, or otherwise — are hard ones made in service of something greater.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
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The two were impeccably dressed as Gomez and Morticia Addams, which is a canonically Gay couple costume choice — Lakshmi, as Morticia, was holding scissors in one of the posts, for crying out loud.—
James Factora,
Them.,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Our City Council and mayor need a class in Economics 101 and fiscal discipline to make hard decisions at City Hall.—
Letters To The Editor,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Chaikesh learned to conceptualize and think of AI not as a black box (as in, an obtuse system where users can’t follow its internal logic) but as a discipline grounded in clarity and fundamentals.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Filler shots of chauffeurs, champagne and colossal walk-in closets with pristine designer clobber glistening and gleaming from glass shelves centred around trays and trays of priceless jewels assault the viewer’s senses between almost every scene.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
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For all the fans’ cries for the team to go all in, there’s still the matter of dollars and sense.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Whether or not to cut back coneflowers is ultimately based on preference, but there are some advantages to delaying the process.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
24 Oct. 2025
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To combat this, a 4-2-3-1 can be morphed into multiple defensive shapes depending on the head coach’s preference.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discretion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discretion. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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