desultory

des·ul·to·ry

adjective \ˈde-səl-ˌtȯr-ē also -zəl-\

Definition of DESULTORY

1

: marked by lack of definite plan, regularity, or purpose <a dragged-out ordeal of…desultory shopping — Herman Wouk>

2

: not connected with the main subject

3

: disappointing in progress, performance, or quality <a desultory fifth place finish> <a desultory wine>

— des·ul·to·ri·ly \ˌde-səl-ˈtȯr-ə-lē\ adverb

— des·ul·to·ri·ness \ˈde-səl-ˌtȯr-ē-nəs\ noun

Examples of DESULTORY

1. <a desultory search for something of interest on TV>
2. <a desultory discussion about the news of the day>

Origin of DESULTORY

Latin desultorius, literally, of a circus rider who leaps from horse to horse, from desilire to leap down, from de- + salire to leap — more at sally

First Known Use: 1581

Related to DESULTORY

Synonyms

aimless, arbitrary, catch-as-catch-can, random, erratic, haphazard, helter-skelter, hit-or-miss, scattered, slapdash, stray

Antonyms

methodical (also methodic), nonrandom, orderly, organized, regular, systematic, systematized

Related Words

accidental, casual, chance, chancy, contingent, fluky (also flukey), fortuitous, inadvertent, incidental, lucky, unconsidered, unintended, unintentional, unplanned, unpremeditated; scattershot, shotgun; irregular, odd, sporadic, spot; directionless, objectless, purposeless; indiscriminate, unsystematic; undirected; disorderly, disorganized; undiscriminating, unselective

Near Antonyms

established, fixed, regular, set, stable, steady; constant, continuous, even; arranged, managed, orchestrated, ordered, planned; aware, conscious, deliberate, purposeful, thoughtful, willful (or wilful)

Rhymes with DESULTORY

a priori, allegory, amatory, auditory, bedtime story, cacciatore, castratory, category, con amore, cover story, crematory, damnatory, decretory, dilatory, dormitory, excretory, expletory, feudatory, fumitory, Göteborg, gustatory, gyratory, horror story, hortatory, hunky-dory, inventory, laudatory, lavatory, mandatory, migratory, minatory, monitory, Montessori, morning glory, nugatory, offertory, oratory, overstory, piscatory, precatory, predatory, prefatory, probatory, promissory, promontory, purgatory, repertory, Ruwenzori, signatory, statutory, sudatory, territory, transitory, understory, vibratory, vomitory, yakitori