thinking carefully about possible risks before doing or saying something
► uses
Uses:
he must be as circumspect as he possibly could in this society,
Leo Tolstoy. Anna Karenina (1878)
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We must not expect a lively young man to be always so guarded and circumspect.
Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice (1813)
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and snuffing considerately in the directions of the various bottles, ordered at last a mint julep, in a thin and quivering voice, and with an air of great circumspection.
Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)
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wisdom wills me to pause until I have called what may happen to my remembrance, and warns thee to be circumspect, lest thy rash conceit bring a sharp repentance.
John Lyly. Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit (1578)
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“My interests must lie with the MacKenzie clan as a whole,” Mr. Gowan said circumspectly.
Diana Gabaldon. Outlander (1991)
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I waved my cap (for my hat was long since worn out) and my handkerchief toward the island; and upon its nearer approach, I called and shouted with the utmost strength of my voice; and then looking circumspectly, I beheld a crowd gather to that side which was most in my view.
Jonathan Swift. Gulliver's Travels Into Several Remote Regions of the World (1726)
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This brought me near to where I had encountered Ben Gunn, the maroon; and I walked more circumspectly, keeping an eye on every side.