 Discrete vs. Discrete These two words are easily confused in the English language. Let's break their difference down. The word discrete is an adjective and used to describe something unnoticeable or modest. For example, the police followed the suspect at a discrete distance. Discrete is also an adjective but means separate and distinct. An example sentence would be, the painting consists of various discrete spots of color. So remember, discrete means unnoticeable or modest and discrete describes something separate and distinct. That's it for today. See you next time.