discretion
The power or freedom to choose what to do in a situation.
The freedom or authority to decide what should be done in a particular situation.
The ability to keep things private and not say or do things that may hurt or embarrass other people.
The quality of being careful about what you say or do so that you do not reveal private information or embarrass people.
The ability to decide what is best to do by thinking carefully.
Careful and sensible judgment that helps someone decide what is appropriate to do in a particular situation.
Official power, especially in law, to decide what to do in a case.
Official freedom or authority, especially in law or government, to decide what should be done or what punishment should be given in a particular case.
- Base: discretion
- Plural: discretion
at (someone's) discretion
1decided by a specific person
Used to say that one named person is free to decide what will happen.
- Scholarships may be renewed each year at the university’s discretion.
- Use of the company car is granted at the manager’s discretion.
exercise discretion
1use given judgment or freedom
To use your power or good judgment to decide what to do.
- Officers are expected to exercise discretion when enforcing minor rules.
- Please exercise discretion when sharing client information outside the team.
leave (something) to (someone's) discretion
1let someone decide about something
To let another person decide what to do about something.
- We’ll leave the exact starting time to your discretion.
- The budget for decorations is left to the committee’s discretion.
parental discretion is advised
1warning for parents about content
A warning that parents should decide carefully if the content is OK for their children.
- This film contains scenes of violence; parental discretion is advised.
- Some material may not be suitable for young viewers, and parental discretion is advised.
use your discretion
1make your own careful decision
Telling someone to decide for themselves what is best to do.
- If the weather gets worse, use your discretion about cancelling the event.
- You can use your discretion when deciding how much detail to include.
discretion is the better part of valor
1caution is wiser than bravery
It is often smarter to be careful and avoid danger than to be brave and take a big risk.
- He decided not to confront his boss; sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.
- He wanted to argue, but decided that discretion is the better part of valor and kept quiet.
- We chose to cancel the climb, believing that discretion is the better part of valor.
- Remember, discretion is the better part of valor—there’s no need to climb in that storm.
- She thought about confronting her boss, but chose to wait, believing that discretion is the better part of valor.
viewer discretion is advised
1warning about possibly disturbing content
A warning before a TV show or video that tells people the content may not be suitable or may be upsetting for some viewers.
- The program contains strong language, so viewer discretion is advised.
- The following program contains strong language; viewer discretion is advised.
- Before the violent scene, a message appeared on screen saying, "Viewer discretion is advised."
- Due to graphic images, viewer discretion is advised for this report.
- This documentary discusses sensitive topics; viewer discretion is advised for younger audiences.