digression

noun

di·​gres·​sion dī-ˈgre-shən How to pronounce digression (audio)
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 How to pronounce digression (audio)
də-
-ə-nᵊl
adjective
digressionary adjective

Examples of digression in a Sentence

the professor's frequent and extended digressions are the stuff of campus legend
Recent Examples on the Web The exchange was Kafkaesque in its mazy rate of progress, technical complexity, and disorienting tendency toward digression. Joel Khalili, WIRED, 14 Feb. 2024 Hammett fans have long puzzled over this enigmatic digression. Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023 For those unaccustomed to Hill’s latest style, her musical digressions often sound dissonant. Salamishah Tillet, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2023 Which in turn makes the picture’s overt philosophical digressions, in the form of Gary’s lectures to his classes, equally easygoing and lively. Vulture, 7 Sep. 2023 And yet the real magic here lies not in narrative but in the digressions. Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2024 That was how Cord chose to address the novel’s digression. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 16 Dec. 2023 Sometimes, however, Foer’s digressions into minutiae can feel like distractions. Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023 His second book of everyday observations is loaded with detours, digressions, and humor. Karen Campbell, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'digression.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see digress

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of digression was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near digression

Cite this Entry

“Digression.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/digression. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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