discursive

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adjective dis·cur·sive \ dis-ˈkər-siv \

Definition of discursive

1 a :moving from topic to topic without order :rambling

gave a discursive lecture

discursive prose

b :proceeding coherently from topic to topic

2 philosophy :marked by a method of resolving complex expressions into simpler or more basic ones :marked by analytical reasoning

3 :of or relating to discourse

discursive practices

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discursively

adverb

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discursiveness

noun

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Examples of discursive in a Sentence

the speaker's discursive style made it difficult to understand his point

Recent Examples of discursive from the Web

Conversations between John le Carré and Ben Macintyre are inevitably warm, interesting, witty, discursive, conspiratorial and gossipy, although their gossip is often espionage-related and more rarefied than yours or mine.

— sarah lyall, New York Times, "Spies Like Us: A Conversation With John le Carré and Ben Macintyre," 25 Aug. 2017
Grabner stressed how this piece focuses on integration and has a discursive nature, as opposed to its symbolic lion counterpart in front of the Art Institute.

— steve johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago artists share their great objects," 7 July 2017
An investigation among the attendees grants Mr. Andò the opportunity to pursue pithy, discursive exchanges about power, austerity and capitalism amid high-end accommodations and a tasteful classical soundtrack.

— andy webster, New York Times, "Review: In ‘The Confessions,’ the Monk Has All the Answers," 6 July 2017
The story is all over the place, and is way too messy to be anything but true — Nanjiani wrote it with Gordon (now his wife), and made it with producer Judd Apatow, whose movies are known for being long and cluttered and discursive.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "'The Big Sick': Finally, Hollywood gets a comedy right," 5 July 2017
Lillian’s death in 2015 seems to have been a primary catalyst for this garrulous and discursive memoir.

— dwight garner, New York Times, "Sherman Alexie’s Complicated Grief for His Mother," 13 June 2017
With A Field Guide to Getting Lost, in 2005, Solnit experimented with the textures of prose, in discursive, autobiographical writing.

— charlotte shane, New Republic, "How Rebecca Solnit Became Essential Feminist Reading," 26 May 2017
The overall structure is smart (John Walter and Keith Fraase led the ace editorial team), but just as Garcia’s famously discursive guitar solos couldn’t all be brilliant, the film slips into uneven territory after a sharp first hour.

— sheri linden, latimes.com, "A long 'Long Strange Trip' about the Grateful Dead is ultimately worth the journey," 25 May 2017
The online and offline participation of citizens has changed the discursive field in Iranian politics, regardless of the presence of reformists in power.

— mohammad ali kadivar, Washington Post, "Iranian President Rouhani won reelection. Here’s how reformists got him there.," 23 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'discursive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The Latin verb discurrere meant "to run about", and from this word we get our word discursive, which often means rambling about over a wide range of topics. A discursive writing style generally isn't encouraged by writing teachers. But some of the great 19th-century writers, such as Charles Lamb and Thomas de Quincey, show that the discursive essay, especially when gracefully written and somewhat personal in tone, can be a pleasure to read. And the man often called the inventor of the essay, the great Michel de Montaigne, might touch on dozens of different topics in the course of a long discursive essay.