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Definition of discursive
1a : moving from topic to topic without order : rambling gave a discursive lecture discursive proseb : 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
discursively
adverbdiscursiveness
nounFrom the M-W Editors
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
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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.
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Lillian’s death in 2015 seems to have been a primary catalyst for this garrulous and discursive memoir.
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With A Field Guide to Getting Lost, in 2005, Solnit experimented with the textures of prose, in discursive, autobiographical writing.
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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.
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There’s no doubt about the fact that the state has less control of the discursive realm.
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The director, Trip Cullman, can’t disguise the discursive structure, but his production is strong and stylish, especially in its more abstract moments.
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After two bizarre concerts last week during which Kanye West came out in support of President-elect Donald J. Trump and ended a set early after a fiery but discursive 17-minute monologue, the rapper has canceled the rest of his tour dates for 2016.
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The Wired Blogs Committee on Selecting the Best and Worst of CES 2007 has yet to complete even its preliminary discursive activities, but this will be my vote for both best and worst booth.
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.
Origin and Etymology of discursive
Medieval Latin discursivus, from Latin discursus, past participle of discurrere to run about — more at discourse
DISCURSIVE Defined for English Language Learners
discursive
playDefinition of discursive for English Language Learners
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: talking or writing about many different things in a way that is not highly organized
Learn More about discursive
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See words that rhyme with discursive Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for discursive Nglish: Translation of discursive for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of discursive for Arabic speakers
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