✅ Diplomacy refers to the skill of managing and negotiating with people so that there is no ill will between them (It took a lot of diplomacy to get everyone to agree).

✅ Discretion refers to the skill or quality of protecting people’s privacy and staying quiet regarding embarrassing or politically delicate matters (The secretary showed discretion by not revealing the boss’s secrets).

✅ Discretion is often an important aspect of diplomacy, as it helps to build trust, which is key to successfully negotiating with or managing people.

✅ Irk means to irritate or annoy (His dismissive attitude irked me).

✅ Miff means to mildly offend (Her mother’s insult about her haircut miffed her).

✅ Irk and miff both mean to make someone feel mildly aggravated or upset, but each word suggests a different cause for these feelings.

✅ Irk suggests that an everyday annoyance caused aggravation (It irks me when I get stuck in traffic), whereas miff suggests someone’s actions or behavior are responsible (People stealing my pens really miffs me).

✅ Pretentious describes someone who assumes an air of importance, especially when that importance is exaggerated or undeserved. It can also describe something that reflects this self-important attitude (pretentious writing; a pretentious gallery owner).

✅ Hoity-toity describes someone or something haughty or pompous (A hoity-toity assistant; I don’t like hoity-toity designer stores).

✅ Pretentious and hoity-toity both express the idea that someone is putting on airs in order to make themselves feel superior.

✅ Hoity-toity is an informal term used often in derision or to make fun of someone. Pretentious is a negative term that is more often used to criticize rather than to make fun.