それとなく
それとなく
adverb
indirectly; casually; subtly
1.
indirectly; casually; subtly
describes doing something in a way that is not direct or obvious, often to avoid being noticed or to be tactful
それとなく聞いてみた。
I casually asked about it.
彼にそれとなく伝えた。
I subtly conveyed it to him.
それとなく様子を探ってみた。
I tried to discreetly find out what was going on.
母はそれとなく結婚の話を持ち出した。
My mother casually brought up the topic of marriage.
USAGE:
Used when doing something indirectly or subtly to avoid being too obvious or direct. Common in situations requiring tact or discretion.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- それとなく聞く - to ask casually
- それとなく伝える - to convey indirectly
- それとなく探る - to probe subtly
- それとなく示す - to hint at
RELATED:
- 遠回しに - in a roundabout way
- 暗に - implicitly
- さりげなく - nonchalantly