discretionary income

noun

: income that is left after paying for things that are essential, such as food and housing

She has enough discretionary income to pay for a nice vacation each year.

Examples of discretionary income in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

McDonald’s has trotted out more offerings for its price-sensitive diners, such as a $4 breakfast, and more items for under $3 as high gas and grocery prices leave millions of Americans with less discretionary income. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026

Many of them are in the season of life when discretionary income rises to meet peak discretionary time. — Sophia Nguyen, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2026

The Wasserman report found that women in the Gen X and Boomer generations held the most discretionary income among the age groups studied, yet were the least likely to feel understood by sports organizations. — Jacques Ledbetter, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Pay 10 percent of discretionary income for 20 years, then any remaining balance is forgiven. — Jill Schlesinger, Mercury News, 6 July 2026

Rhymes for discretionary income

• abomasum
• become
• checksum
• humdrum
• outcome
• pisum
• succumb
• therefrom
• wherefrom
• bum
• chum
• come