youthful indiscretion
3
6.9
- noun
- /ˈjuːθfəl ˌɪndɪˈskrɛʃən/
:
indiscreción juvenil
- Everyone has made a youthful indiscretion that they later regretted, but such mistakes are often part of growing up.
- forget that youthful indiscretion
Examples
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They were merely youthful indiscretions.
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Often, those humorous stories involve community members who were involved in minor accidents that resulted in embarrassment more than injury, moments when a child got the better of an adult, or incidents of youthful indiscretion that did not involve moral violations.
Academic text (2016) -
A focus on his youthful indiscretions.
Blog text (5) -
That would be a youthful indiscretion.
Blog text (28) -
And who hasn't been guilty of a youthful indiscretion, ladies and gentlemen of the jury?
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All you'll have is an awkward story to tell about youthful indiscretion.
Blog text (30) -
"And what was that youthful indiscretion?" MacDonald shook his head.
Fiction book (1990) -
Then we could dismiss it as a youthful indiscretion, just another of the standard outrage-baiting campaign moments we'll all forget soon enough.
Blog text (18) -
But such youthful indiscretions are no reason why the young scion should not go on to become a professor of childhood education, as Ayers in fact did.
Blog text (19) -
I don't begrudge a youthful indiscretion like this against anyone; it's just one of those things that people do when they are young and untamed by life.
Blog text (21)
Synonyms
44
5.3
A small wrong action that causes embarrassment or harm to people's trust
38
7.3
A small mistake that shows bad judgment but is not serious
33
6.1
A careless mistake that causes problems or embarrassment
4
7.7
A small unintentional mistake when speaking, writing, or performing an action
4
2.8
A careless, foolish error that causes problems
1
6.7
An embarrassing mistake that shows you were careless
Antonyms
How Serious
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'youthful' (relating to youth) combined with 'indiscretion' (a lapse of judgment) yields the straightforward meaning 'a lapse of judgment committed in one's youth.' This interpretation is predictable from the parts and mirrors similar constructions in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words should understand the MWE.
Etymology
Youthful indiscretion joins youthful, meaning 'young', and indiscretion, meaning 'a careless act', so picture a young person doing something quickly without thinking and later feeling embarrassed. That's why it now means 'a mistake' from youth that people often see as 'not serious' and forgive.