as in optional
subject to one's freedom of choice
discretionary spending on luxuries dropped dramatically last year
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of discretionary
Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Manhattan’s borough president, announced on Tuesday that all $50 million of his office’s annual discretionary budget would be going towards NYC arts-centric cultural programming and renovation projects.
—
News Desk,
Artforum,
24 June 2026
This decision is a break from past borough presidents who have divided their discretionary budget between various city services, including public housing, parks, and the arts.
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Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
23 June 2026
Supervisor Janet Nguyen, who represents Garden Grove and the area near the facility, allocated the money from her discretionary funds.
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Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
Wants cover discretionary spending like dining out, entertainment, hobbies and vacations.
—
Faith Wakefield,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for discretionary
News Desk,
Artforum,
24 June 2026
This decision is a break from past borough presidents who have divided their discretionary budget between various city services, including public housing, parks, and the arts.
—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
23 June 2026
Supervisor Janet Nguyen, who represents Garden Grove and the area near the facility, allocated the money from her discretionary funds.
—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
Wants cover discretionary spending like dining out, entertainment, hobbies and vacations.
—
Faith Wakefield,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for discretionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discretionary
Adjective
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The company is selling highly customizable electric vehicles that come with few standard features, but plenty of optional add-ons.
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An optional passenger display also makes its debut on the BMW X5.
Adjective
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The reason is that the administration has shrunk the requirements for reports of immunization from states, changing the reports from mandated to voluntary.
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Without control of committee gavels — and the subpoena power that comes with them — legislative inquiries from the Hill minority generally rely on the voluntary compliance from their targets to produce documents or testimony.
Cite this Entry
“Discretionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discretionary. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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