それとなく

adverb

indirectly; casually; subtly

descriptive communication

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(き)いてみた。

I casually asked about it.

彼(かれ)にそれとなく伝(つた)えた。

I subtly conveyed it to him.

それとなく様子(ようす)を探(さぐ)ってみた。

I tried to discreetly find out what was going on.

母(はは)はそれとなく結婚(けっこん)の話(はなし)を持(も)ち出(だ)した。

My mother casually brought up the topic of marriage.

Usage

Used for getting a message across or finding something out without saying so outright: hinting rather than stating, sounding someone out rather than asking directly.

Common collocations

それとなく聞(き)く - to ask casually
それとなく伝(つた)える - to convey indirectly
それとなく探(さぐ)る - to probe subtly
それとなく示(しめ)す - to hint at

Similar words

遠回(とおまわ)しに - in a roundabout way
暗(あん)に - implicitly
さりげなく - nonchalantly (about manner: acting as if nothing special is going on, whereas それとなく is about not stating one's point)

Related Words

Related: 遠回(とおまわ)しに (in a roundabout way)

Related: 暗(あん)に (implicitly)

Related: さりげなく (nonchalantly)

Compare: さりげない (nonchalantly (about manner)

general

Added 2026.1.27 19:33 · Revised 2026.9.27 3:47

08500/08510_soretonaku