Meanings
plural circumspections
- countableuncountableCaution, watchfulness, or vigilance fueled by such awareness.
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.
1989 January 28, Werner Winter, “On a new claim concerning substratum influence upon Tocharian”, in Central Asiatic Journal, volume 33, number 1/2, Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISSN, page 128
Synonyms & antonyms
nounknowing how to avoid embarrassment or distress
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincircumspectio
- Middle Frenchcirconspection
- Middle Englishcircumspeccioun
- Englishcircumspection
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).
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian предпазливост
- предпазливост (predpazlivost)attention to all the facts and circumstances
Czech obezřetnost
- obezřetnostattention to all the facts and circumstances
French circonspection
- circonspectionattention to all the facts and circumstances
Hungarian körültekintés
- körültekintésattention to all the facts and circumstances
Italian circospezione
- circospezioneattention to all the facts and circumstances
Portuguese circunspeção
- circunspeçãoattention to all the facts and circumstances
Swedish försiktighet, förtänksamhet
- försiktighetattention to all the facts and circumstances
- förtänksamhetattention to all the facts and circumstances
- varsamhetattention to all the facts and circumstances
Cite this entry
circumspection. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/circumspection
“circumspection.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/circumspection. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “circumspection,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/circumspection.
Source: circumspection on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.