digression

noun

di·​gres·​sion dī-ˈgre-shən 

də-

1

: the act or an instance of leaving the main subject in an extended written or verbal expression of thought : the act or an instance of digressing in a discourse or other usually organized literary work

Every place Hamilton, his parents, or his wife visited over a century's time is described at length; everyone he met merits at least a minor biographical digression.

—Willard Sterne Randall

2

archaic : a going aside

digressional

dī-ˈgresh-nəl 

də-

-ə-nᵊl

adjective

digressionary

dī-ˈgre-shə-ˌner-ē 

də-

adjective

Synonyms

• tangent

Examples of digression in a Sentence

the professor's frequent and extended digressions are the stuff of campus legend

Recent Examples on the Web

His essays — an array of digressions on meme culture, monetary theory and markets — remain widely read in crypto circles. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2025

This Pearl Jam/jizz/peyote digression occurs after an opening Nineties trivia question about grunge frontmen. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2025

But each polite knockback and odd digression throws out at least one casually sublime spark. —Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 Aug. 2025

That is why the film is not just telling a story in a totally straightforward way, but makes these kinds of little cinematic digressions. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see digress

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for digression

• accession
• aggression
• compression
• concession
• confession
• depression
• discretion
• expression
• impression
• obsession
• oppression
• possession