discursive

adjective

dis·​cur·​sive di-ˈskər-siv How to pronounce discursive (audio)
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
discursively adverb
discursiveness noun

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.

Examples of discursive in a Sentence

the speaker's discursive style made it difficult to understand his point
Recent Examples on the Web As an impressionist, Carvey's style was more, well, impressionist — his gabbling, discursive George H.W. Bush spinning out further and further while remaining resolutely tethered to some measure of loony reality. Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2023 However obscure the subject of Putin’s discursive exercise was, the genre probably looked recognizable to Americans. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2024 Long sections about her college off-Broadway work and her first big break can seem discursive, especially when parts start to zigzag between different eras in India’s still-quite-young life. Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2024 The demonstration began, and Ahmed spoke first, doing his best to distill his discursive style into something closer to call-and-response. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2023 The trial has been read as the beginning of a discursive standoff in which the Israeli right argues for preëmptive violence and sees the left as willfully defenseless. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2023 Theirs is not really a movement but a discursive stance with almost no relation to the actual contours of politics. Michelle Orange, Harper's Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023 The book is irreverent, discursive, intermittently hilarious, gossipy, spiteful, penetrating on political topics, and zealous in its admiration of R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. Even Mr. Tyrrell’s enemies will have to admit that his achievements are considerable. Barton Swaim, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2023 Streisand’s chatty, discursive presence hums on every page. Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discursive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin discursīvus "showing reasoned thought, logical," from discursus, past participle of discurrere "to range over, discuss" (going back to Latin, "to run off in different directions, [of a mind or speaker] branch out, range") + Latin -īvus -ive — more at discourse entry 1

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of discursive was in 1595

Dictionary Entries Near discursive

Cite this Entry

“Discursive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discursive. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

discursive

adjective
dis·​cur·​sive dis-ˈkər-siv How to pronounce discursive (audio)
: passing from one topic to another
a discursive speech
discursively adverb
discursiveness noun

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