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 His debate performance was widely criticized, even among Republican allies, who lauded Harris for landing several key insults and baiting Trump into delivering several angry, discursive rants. Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2024 That said, Beatty’s portrayal of the harried, discursive, libidinous George is irresistible even without context, as is the performance given by a young Goldie Hawn, who illuminates every frame—and perfectly counteracts Beatty—with blonde California light, and a heart-melting, downy innocence. Vogue, 10 Sep. 2024 Shared Collections Maps, Power, and Identity The Ancient East Asian Maps Collection at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology demonstrates the power held and discursive work done by mapmakers. JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024 There’s something discursive about the way the music and narrative and gestures of the performers only combine in your head. Juan A. Ramírez, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for discursive 

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 31 Oct. 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

More from Merriam-Webster on discursive

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