circumspect

Meanings

1. Careful to think about the possible results before acting or speaking.
2. Showing good judgment about what is wise to say or do in a delicate situation.

Example sentences

• "The minister was circumspect about the talks."

  Level C1, Meaning 1

• "She is circumspect in what she says online."

  Level C1, Meaning 2

• "Investors remain circumspect after last year's losses."

  Level C1, Meaning 1

• "A circumspect reply avoided any promise."

  Level C2, Meaning 2

Synonyms and antonyms

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• cautious : Cautious is the everyday word for careful. Circumspect is more formal and stresses thinking about every result first.
• suspicious : Suspicious means you doubt or distrust someone. A circumspect person is careful, not distrustful.

Word family and forms

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "circumspect".

• circumspect about
• remain circumspect
• a circumspect approach
• circumspect in his language
• be circumspect
• circumspect and careful

Origin

Circumspect comes from Latin circumspectus, the past participle of circumspicere, to look around. That verb joins circum-, meaning around, to specere, to look. English borrowed it in the 1400s, so the word still carries the picture of someone looking all around before taking a step.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

Usage notes

"Circumspect" implies careful weighing of risk, closer to "prudent" than to "shy" or "quiet".

How to remember it

Circumspect means looking around: circum is around, like a circle, and spect is look, like spectacles.

Test yourself

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