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

Some might even ask if the demand for flat prices is an implicit acknowledgement of the error, but that’s a digression. —John Tamny, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025

But that’s a digression, and one imaging rationality about a tax code that screams irrationality. —John Tamny, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025

In conversation, Lee is grizzled and gregarious, quick to cackle, and prone to starry-eyed digressions about music’s overwhelming power and his partner’s formidable songwriting chops. —Elias Leight, Billboard, 1 May 2025

All the digressions and discombobulations, and the need to flesh out so many angles of the Stacy/Aislin dynamic, impact the directness some of the play’s key messages about mortality, community and communication. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 13 June 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