What does circumspect mean?
Word: Circumspect
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Circumspect means thinking with great care before acting, because there may be risks.
Synonyms: wary
How do you spell circumspect?
Syllables: cir - cum - spect
Tricky part: The opening sound could be written ser or sir, which is why pupils go wrong at once. It begins cir.
Watch out for: sercumspect, cercumspect
Memory tip: Before acting, this sort of person walks all round the problem in a circle. Circle and this word begin with the same three letters.
Circumspect in a sentence
Example 1: Be circumspect when you share photographs online.
Example 2: The trekking guide was circumspect about crossing the swollen stream.
Example 3: After one bad buy, Dad became more circumspect about online offers.
Fun Fact
Its Latin roots mean looking around. A circumspect person is, in the old picture behind the word, someone who checks in every direction before taking a step.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is misspelt. Choose the meaning of that word:
1. circumspect 2. reservoir 3. rendezvous 4. souvinir
a) an object kept as a reminder of a place
b) unwilling to take chances
c) a large lake that stores a town's water
d) an arranged meeting at a set time
Show answer
a) an object kept as a reminder of a place. Souvenir has an e in the middle, and the list has an i there.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word circumspect as used in the sentence:
Naina is circumspect about spending her pocket money and compares prices first.
a) careful
b) reckless
c) cautious
d) prudent
Show answer
b) reckless. A reckless spender ignores the risks and never compares prices.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence hides a jumbled word. Choose the word:
After taking one wrong turn, the hikers were far more eusccmtrpic about choosing a path.
a) circumvent
b) conspicuous
c) circumstance
d) circumspect
Show answer
d) circumspect. Three c's and no a, o or v: that fits circumspect and nothing else.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The young climbers stayed circomspect on the steep path above the river and tested every loose stone with a stick before they trusted it with their weight.
a) steep
b) circomspect
c) loose
d) weight
Show answer
b) circomspect. The vowel before the m should be a u.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which action best shows a circumspect shopper?
a) selling an old phone to a passing stranger
b) asking a friend to choose and pay for a phone
c) reading reviews before paying for a costly phone
d) buying the first phone that looks attractive
Show answer
c) reading reviews before paying for a costly phone
2. A circumspect reply to a difficult question would probably be
a) sudden and rather careless
b) measured and carefully chosen
c) loud and full of feeling
d) long and full of jokes
Show answer
b) measured and carefully chosen
