DISCURSIVE Synonyms: 23 Similar and Opposite Words

discursive

adjective

di-ˈskər-siv

Definition of discursive

as in rambling

passing from one topic to another the speaker's discursive style made it difficult to understand his point

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of discursive Like members of the Women’s Rights Convention, these outsiders often invoked the Declaration of Independence as a discursive weapon. — Brian Delay, Mercury News, 4 July 2026 The temporary and discursive structure allowed global visibility without institutional permanence. — Daniel Birnbaum, Artforum, 2 Apr. 2026 Real Man Adventures isn’t broken up into chapter-length sections of narrative, but rather brief, discursive essays. — Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026 The instructional promise of each episode was a bit, a starting point for discursive, funny, intermittently personal mini-essays that always started in Wilson’s beloved New York, but could and did make their way anywhere. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for discursive

Recent Examples of Synonyms for discursive

Adjective

Once he was arrested, prosecutors said Ruiz made rambling, nonsensical statements that appeared paranoid and delusional.

— William Lee, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
The rambling, low-slung main residence was extensively renovated by the couple, who also expanded with a separate building that’s tucked up under a vast lawn.

— Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of rambling

Adjective

The enormously sensitive Plunkett is often responsible for them as Barbara, who’s quietly going through a tragedy in the background of all the wandering talk.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026
When the wandering pooch finally narrowed his territory, Packer set up a humane trap and spent several days and nights nearby, waiting for Anchovy Jack to take the bait.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of wandering

Adjective

In other words, the course of this project is insistently digressive.

— Artforum, Artforum, 28 Sep. 2026
As Port falls in with a group of conspirators preparing for the insurrection, the book takes on a hallucinatory, digressive quality, blurring the lines between life and death, reality and illusion.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of digressive

Browse Nearby Words

discriminatory

discursive

discuss

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“Discursive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discursive. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of discursive

adjective

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