All 4 Uses of
discreet
in
The Great Gatsby
- So Tom Buchanan and his girl and I went up together to New York — or not quite together, for Mrs. Wilson sat discreetly in another car.
p. 26.9 *discreetly = in a manner that is unlikely to attract attention or cause embarrassmenteditor's notes: Since Myrtle Wilson is Tom's girl and since each is married to someone else, they do not want to be too obvious by traveling in the same car.
- When I came back they had disappeared, so I sat down discreetly in the living-room and read a chapter of "Simon Called Peter."
p. 29.9discreetly = in a manner that is unlikely to attract attention
- "When they do get married," continued Catherine, "they're going West to live for a while until it blows over."
"It'd be more discreet to go to Europe."p. 34.1discreet = inconspicuous (not attracting attention)
- "She's got an indiscreet voice," I remarked.
p. 120.5indiscreet = attention-attractingstandard prefix: The prefix "in-" in indiscreet means not and reverses the meaning of discreet. This is the same pattern you see in words like invisible, incomplete, and insecure.
Definitions:
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(1)
(discreet as in: discreet--not showy or gossipy) trustworthy with secrets or subtle (not attracting attention)This sense of discreet sometimes indicates that something is small (so as not to attract attention) as in "discreet earrings."
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(2)
(discreet as in: discreet--not foolish) sensible and careful; possibly having good mannersThis sense of discreet is more commonly seen in classic literature than in modern writing. There is may also refer to having the judgment to exercise good manners.