ENGLISH WORD FILE NO. 01645 · Core CSAT & TOEIC Vocabulary
discretion
n.
US/dɪˈskreʃən/
UK/dɪˈskreʃən/
CSAT Frequency72/100
TOEIC Frequency68/100
02
Meanings of discretion
1noun
The quality of being careful and judicious in one's speech and behavior, especially in avoiding causing offense or revealing secrets.
The lawyer handled the sensitive case with discretion and professionalism.
The lawyer handled the sensitive case with discretion and professionalism.
You can trust her discretion; she never gossips about confidential matters.
You can trust her discretion; she never gossips about confidential matters.
03
Derivatives of discretion
discretionary
adjective; left to or depending on the discretion of someone
The company offers discretionary bonuses based on individual performance.
The company offers discretionary bonuses based on individual performance.
exercise discretion
verb phrase; to use judgment and care in making decisions
The judge must exercise discretion when sentencing the defendant.
The judge must exercise discretion when sentencing the defendant.
at one's discretion
prepositional phrase; according to someone's own judgment or choice
The deadline can be extended at the director's discretion.
The deadline can be extended at the director's discretion.
04
Synonyms & Antonyms of discretion
05
Common Phrases with discretion
exercise discretionexercise discretion
with discretionwith discretion
at someone's discretionat someone's discretion
use one's discretionuse one's discretion
personal discretionpersonal discretion
06
Practice Question: discretion
Choose the best word for the blank
The principal has the ___ to decide whether students can take the exam early.
- A discretion
- B discretions
- C discretionary
- D discretely
The singular noun 'discretion' is correct here because it refers to the power or freedom to make decisions; 'discretionary' is an adjective, 'discretions' is unnecessary, and 'discretely' is an adverb meaning 'separately.'