discretionary

adjective dis·cre·tion·ary \ -ˈkre-shə-ˌner-ē \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

1 : left to individual choice or judgment : exercised at one's own discretion

discretionary powers

2 : available for discretionary use

discretionary income

See discretionary defined for English-language learners

Examples of discretionary in a Sentence

discretionary spending on luxuries dropped dramatically last year

Recent Examples of discretionary from the Web

Some House Republicans have floated the idea of a balanced budget amendment, which would require huge cuts to discretionary programs and those that support older and sick Americans.

— cathleen decker, latimes.com, "Budget office projects growing deficits and massive debt during Trump administration," 9 Apr. 2018
Refinances are generally deemed to be more discretionary than mortgages used for purchases.

— robyn a. friedman, WSJ, "Rising Interest Rates Squeeze Homeowners’ Budgets," 4 Apr. 2018
The Tarrant County district attorney's office has 30 days from Thursday to file a petition for discretionary review with the Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin, the highest criminal court in Texas.

— mitch mitchell, star-telegram, "Court denies district attorney's bid to halt new trial for man in prison for 21 years | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 2 Apr. 2018
The proposal would cut $3.6 billion — about 5 percent — from the Education Department by eliminating several discretionary programs, including one that funds after-school activities for needy children and another that covers teacher training.

— valerie strauss, Washington Post, "DeVos seeks cuts from Education Department to support school choice," 6 Mar. 2018
Trump's budget would cut more than $48 billion from dozens of discretionary programs, but would add several billion dollars to fight opioid abuse.

— sabrina eaton & stephen koff, cleveland.com, "Trump budget would cut grant programs that benefit Ohio, add money to fight opioids," 12 Feb. 2018
The divide broadens to 58 percent for year-end discretionary awards.

— BostonGlobe.com, "L.L. Bean to open Boston store on April 6," 28 Mar. 2018
The changing shape of austerity: More broadly, the package indicates that the post-2011 dynamic in which Congress squeezes discretionary spending to keep the budget deficit down is over.

— matthew yglesias, Vox, "The week’s 4 most important political stories, explained," 23 Mar. 2018
But the February deal will trigger a huge jump in discretionary spending starting in 2019, raising the overall 2027 figure to 24.8% of GDP.

— shawn tully, Fortune, "How Debt Could Blow Up the Trump Economy," 15 Mar. 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1698

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

discretionary Synonyms

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

DISCRETIONARY Defined for English Language Learners

discretionary

adjective

: available to be used when and how you decide
: done or used when necessary

Law Dictionary

discretionary

adjective dis·cre·tion·ary \ dis-ˈkre-shə-ˌner-ē \

: 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

Note: A public official generally has qualified immunity from lawsuits that arise from his or her discretionary acts.