Literary notes about indiscreet (AI summary)
The term “indiscreet” in literature is often used to highlight behavior or speech that lacks proper restraint or tact. Frequently, authors employ the word to denote imprudence or an eagerness that borders on the immodest—for example, characters who pose questions perceived as overly personal or revealing ([1], [2], [3]). In other instances, “indiscreet” is ascribed to actions that inadvertently reveal private information or betray confidences, a trait critiqued as both socially and morally disadvantageous ([4], [5], [6]). At times, the term takes on a subtler tone, reflecting offhand remarks or minor lapses in judgment that nonetheless expose a character’s vulnerability or careless zeal ([7], [8], [9]). Across such varied literary contexts—from Shakespeare’s dramas to Montaigne’s reflective essays—the word consistently functions as a marker of imprudence, underscoring the fine line between frankness and imprudent disclosure ([10], [11], [12]).
- “My friend,” the postmaster said to him timidly, “excuse an indiscreet question: what means have you at your disposal?”
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - Would it be indiscreet to ask who her husband is, in case I should have an opportunity of consulting him about this trip?
— from Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy by Bernard Shaw - “I should like to ask one question—that is if it is not too indiscreet—what is your own specialty?”
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - When the victim of his indiscreet admiration had regained her consciousness, she made her charge against him, and the police drew it up.
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant - But one question, perhaps indiscreet, naturally popped up, and I couldn't resist asking it.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne - “Women are very indiscreet, my sister.
— from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - I have done some indiscreet things in my day, but this thing of playing myself for a prophet was the worst.
— from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain - An indiscreet admiration for Byron most likely involved the young poet in this scrape.
— from Eugene Oneguine [Onegin] by Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin - This indiscreet zeal produces an effect directly opposite to what is meant.
— from Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Perhaps Diana had betrayed it to Fred and Fred had been indiscreet.
— from Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery - This way of speaking in a Christian man has ever seemed to me very indiscreet and irreverent.
— from Essays of Michel de Montaigne — Complete by Michel de Montaigne - “I will not detain you, monsieur,” continued the countess; “I would not have our gratitude become indiscreet or importunate.”
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
