discrete means separate; distinct; individual; non-continuous. It carries an Arena rating of 1623, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, discrete ranks #1,059 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #1,144 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,324 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #1,791 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
discrete is pronounced /dɪˈskɹiːt/.
Why “discrete” is a great word
Consisting of distinct, separate, or unconnected elements. From the Latin discrētus, past participle of discernō ("to separate, divide"), from dis- ("apart") + cernō ("to sift, distinguish"). Unlike "continuous" (which describes an unbroken, seamless whole) or "integrated" (which implies parts fused into a unified function), discrete is the quiet insistence of separation—the solitary bead of water on a leaf, the single chime of a clock, the isolated note in a staccato phrase—each element whole in itself, defined as much by the silence or space around it as by its own substance, composing a greater pattern through careful, measured apartness.
Etymology
From Old French discret, from Latin discrētus, past participle of discernō (“divide”), from dis- + cernō (“sift”). Doublet of discreet.
adj
- Separate; distinct; individual; non-continuous.e.g.“a government with three discrete divisions”
- That can be perceived individually, not as connected to, or part of, something else.
- Consisting of or permitting only distinct values drawn from a finite, countable set.e.g.“a discrete sum”
- Having separate electronic components, such as individual diodes, transistors and resistors, as opposed to integrated circuitry.
- Having separate and independent channels of audio, as opposed to multiplexed stereo or quadraphonic, or other multi-channel sound.
- Having each singleton subset open: said of a topological space or a topology.
- Disjunctive; containing a disjunctive or discretive clause.e.g.“"I resign my life, but not my honour" is a discrete proposition.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.