discursive
adjective
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
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
And it’s also arrived at a particular moment, in a particular discursive world, in which opinions are strong, objections are instant, and differences are emphasized.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 27 May 2025
Set entirely in Linda’s Manhattan apartment, the film freely and imaginatively recreates that long-ago afternoon and the wonderfully discursive exchange between these two singular individuals.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2025
There’s a discursive ramble about ordering Chinese food that takes on a strange power.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discursive
Cite this Entry
“Discursive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discursive. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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discursive
adjective
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