Circumspection
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Attention to all the facts and circumstances of a case; consideration of all that is pertinent. countable, uncountable
- 2 the trait of being circumspect and prudent wordnet
- 3 Caution, watchfulness, or vigilance fueled by such awareness. countable, uncountable
"As if this were not enough, CAW has failed to utilize even his limited sources with diligence and circumspection; to demonstrate this point, I will briefly note inadequacies in the data adduced by CAW."
- 4 knowing how to avoid embarrassment or distress wordnet
Example
More examples"As if this were not enough, CAW has failed to utilize even his limited sources with diligence and circumspection; to demonstrate this point, I will briefly note inadequacies in the data adduced by CAW."
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English circumspeccioun, from Middle French circonspection or its etymon Latin circumspectio. By surface analysis, circum- + Latin spect + -ion, "looking [all] around" (as compared with the opposite concept, embodied as tunnel vision or blinders).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.