circumspect

WOTD – 11 October 2009    

English

Etymology

From Latin circumspectō (“look around”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈsəː.kəm.spɛkt/
• (US) IPA: /ˈsɚ.kəm.spɛkt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

circumspect (comparative more circumspect, superlative most circumspect)

1. Carefully aware of all circumstances; considerate of all that is pertinent.

   Being aware of the danger of upsetting her audience, she was somewhat circumspect in her comments.

Synonyms

• (carefully aware of all circumstances): cautious, prudent, thoughtful, wary

Derived terms

• circumspectly
• circumspective

Related terms

• circumspection

Translations

carefully aware of all circumstances

• Bulgarian: внимателен (bg) (vnimatelen), предпазлив (bg) (predpazliv)
• Catalan: circumspecte (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 细心的 (cmn), 慎重的 (cmn)

• Czech: obezřetný (cs) m
• Danish: varsom (da), forsigtig (da)
• Estonian: ettevaatlik (et)
• Finnish: ympäripyöreä (fi)
• German: vorsichtig (de), umsichtig (de)

• Hungarian: körültekintő (hu)
• Italian: cauto (it) m, prudente (it) m and f
• Macedonian: претпазлив (mk) (prétpazliv) m
• Norwegian: omstendelig (no)
• Polish: ostrożny (pl)
• Russian: осмотрительный (ru) (osmotritelʹnyj), бдительный (ru) (bditelʹnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: razborit (sh) m, promišljat (sh), oprezan (sh), svjestan (sh)
• Spanish: circunspecto (es)