discreetly
/dɪˈskriːtli
/adverb
1In a careful and prudent manner, especially in order to keep something confidential or to avoid embarrassment: he discreetly inquired whether the position was still available...
- Recently I read a sweet how-to article about breast-feeding discreetly in public.
- Instead any price cuts are likely to be agreed discreetly with customers.
- Gift-giving in courtship traditionally was handled discreetly, with men offering women small gifts on special occasions.
1.1In an intentionally unobtrusive manner: she coughed discreetly...
- While Claire is freshening up, Alan could discreetly check his e-mail, as all the rooms have plug-in facilities for laptops.
- The western half of the site includes discreetly placed parking and a landscaped area planted with olive trees.
- Additional space heating is discreetly provided by portable gas units, and gas also powers the cookers and hot water boiler.
Usage
The words discretely and discreetly are pronounced in the same way and share the same origin but they do not mean the same thing. Discretely means ‘separately and individually’, as in they are counted then discretely marked, while discreetly means ‘in a careful and prudent manner’, as in he wanted the affair handled discreetly.