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

• aside
• divagation
• excursion
• tangent

Example Sentences

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

Recent Examples on the Web

The plot is convoluted and (again a la Tarantino) dotted with flashbacks and digressions laced with references likely to be lost on anyone who hasn’t studied the past two centuries of Eastern European politics. —Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2023

That said, the show’s surreal digressions and detours into fantasy become more distracting, in a way that feels a little too precious at times. —Brian Lowry, CNN, 14 Apr. 2023

Its structure is too often sloppy, with uneasy transitions from biography to personal digression; its tone is occasionally treacly; its treatment of Converse is hagiographic. —Jeremy Lybarger, The New Republic, 24 Apr. 2023

In that sense, this column is a digression. —New York Times, 22 July 2022

This digression, which plays with identity, is the show’s most radical conception, a sort of infinite regression, as Fielder, creating simulacrum upon simulacrum, becomes his own subject and takes over the role and briefly the life of one of his students. —Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2022

In an unusually personal digression, Maddow, a Rhodes Scholar who's known for deep analysis of national politics, talked movingly about her relationship with Mikula, as a way of explaining to viewers the deep fear of losing a loved one. —Bill Keveney, USA TODAY, 20 Nov. 2020

Sanderson’s closing defense had quite a few digressions. —James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Mar. 2023

But Howie’s solitary digressions, unlike those of Castro’s protagonist, don’t snare him in an agonizing spiral of self-consciousness. —Nathan Goldman, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

see digress

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1