discursive
Americanadjective
-
passing aimlessly from one subject to another; digressive; rambling.
- Synonyms:
- prolix, long-winded, wandering
-
proceeding by reasoning or argument rather than intuition.
adjective
-
passing from one topic to another, usually in an unmethodical way; digressive
-
philosophy of or relating to knowledge obtained by reason and argument rather than intuition Compare dianoetic
Other Word Forms
- discursively adverb
- discursiveness noun
- nondiscursive adjective
- nondiscursively adverb
- nondiscursiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of discursive
From the Medieval Latin word discursīvus, dating back to 1590–1600. See discourse, -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The parts add up to a novel that is scathing but discursive.
Some storylines do emerge from the discursive dialogue.
“Cordially” is a little too jumpy for its own good, but its discursive heart is in the right place for these grievous times.
From Los Angeles Times
Fans of Nunez’s tartly discursive yet flowing novel will likely miss the snap of its critical observations on literary mind-sets and whatnot.
From Los Angeles Times
It may be true that at the discursive level there was a change in the way the president and the Mexican government talk about the drug trade.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
