discretionary
adjective
dis·cre·tion·ary
di-ˈskre-shə-ˌner-ē 
1
: left to individual choice or judgment : exercised at one's own discretion
discretionary powers
2
: available for discretionary use
discretionary income
Examples of discretionary in a Sentence
discretionary spending on luxuries dropped dramatically last year
Recent Examples on the Web
While the technology sector had the most multibaggers, the industrials and consumer discretionary sectors were very close behind.
—
Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
This resilience boils down to a profound decoupling of casual foot traffic from pure discretionary spending.
—Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 11 June 2026
To balance the budget, county officials outlined the $57 million reduction in discretionary spending, leaving just over $1 billion in discretionary revenues — referred to as net county costs — for the upcoming fiscal year.
—Reeti Malhotra
june 11, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026
Official numbers show an economy propped up by financial services and agriculture while household consumption grew at its slowest rate in two years as households cut back on travel and discretionary goods.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for discretionary
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.
Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
This resilience boils down to a profound decoupling of casual foot traffic from pure discretionary spending.
—Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 11 June 2026
To balance the budget, county officials outlined the $57 million reduction in discretionary spending, leaving just over $1 billion in discretionary revenues — referred to as net county costs — for the upcoming fiscal year.
—Reeti Malhotra
june 11, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026
Official numbers show an economy propped up by financial services and agriculture while household consumption grew at its slowest rate in two years as households cut back on travel and discretionary goods.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for discretionary
Cite this Entry
“Discretionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discretionary. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
discretionary
adjective
dis·cre·tion·ary
dis-ˈkre-shə-ˌner-ē
: left to discretion : exercised at one's own discretion
specifically
: relating to the policy-making function of a public official see also Federal Tort Claims Act compare ministerial
Note: A public official generally has qualified immunity from lawsuits that arise from his or her discretionary acts.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
