Definition of discretionary
1 : left to individual choice or judgment : exercised at one's own discretion discretionary powers
2 : available for discretionary use discretionary income
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Examples of discretionary in a Sentence
discretionary spending on luxuries dropped dramatically last year
Recent Examples of discretionary from the Web
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Under the House plan, defense spending would steadily increase over 10 years while nondefense discretionary spending would decline to $424 billion –
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The actual instructions for this year’s budget require a mere $203 billion in cuts to entitlement programs over the coming decade, along with $130 billion-worth of reductions in non-defense discretionary spending.
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Culberson responded to Price, who withdrew his amendment, and every other petitioner by citing his hope that Congress would rewrite a 2011 budget agreement and lift the current ceiling on domestic discretionary spending, now $511 billion for 2018.
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The discretionary nature of the company's products potentially leaves it vulnerable to a spending slowdown as disposable incomes are squeezed.
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Further, that depletion was made worse by fighting two major conflicts, one of which was a discretionary war, as well as responding to other threats such as North Korea.
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Analysts at Societe Generale SA see such spending boosting the region’s economic growth, and recommend focusing on companies selling discretionary items rather than staples.
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Specifically, the proposal would cut $50 billion from the non-discretionary budget, according to Politico.
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That project's budget is $200,000, with $50,000 coming from Benson's discretionary fund.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'discretionary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of discretionary
see discreet
Other Legal Terms
DISCRETIONARY Defined for English Language Learners
discretionary
playDefinition of discretionary for English Language Learners
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: available to be used when and how you decide
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: done or used when necessary
Law Dictionary
discretionary
playLegal Definition of discretionary
: 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
Additional Notes on discretionary
A public official generally has qualified immunity from lawsuits that arise from his or her discretionary acts.
Learn More about discretionary
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See words that rhyme with discretionary Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for discretionary Spanish Central: Translation of discretionary Nglish: Translation of discretionary for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of discretionary for Arabic speakers
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