Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

excursive

adjective ex·cur·sive \ ik-ˈskər-siv \

Definition of excursive

:constituting a digression :characterized by digression
—

excursively

adverb
—

excursiveness

noun

Explore Merriam-Webster

one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III
tycoon
17 English Words that Come From Japanese
alt-59e8af1b31525
Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Examples of excursive in a Sentence

  1. an excursive story line that some readers of Melville's novel find very rewarding

First Known Use of excursive

1659

excursive Synonyms

Synonyms
desultory, digressional, digressionary, digressive, discursive, leaping, maundering, meandering, rambling, wandering
Related Words
circuitous, deviating, devious, indirect, roundabout
Near Antonyms
coherent, consistent, logical; direct, focused (also focussed), straightforward, undeviating

Learn More about excursive

  1. See words that rhyme with excursive Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for excursive

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up excursive? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

knee-jerk

play

readily predictable

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. imbroglio "a public scandal"

  2. spurious of a deceitful nature or quality

  3. righteous We provide an assortment of definitions

  4. Kafkaesque 'A nightmarish quality'

  5. mike "microphone"

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

The Exceptions Quiz III

  • one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
  • Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59ea52ed7b96f
Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Why do we call students 'freshmen' and 'sophomores'?

alt-59e900afadac6
The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

In the past, you could invent fruit.

alt-59e8c3440f453
I'll Have the Us(ual)

Shortening 'usual': easy to say, hard to spell

alt-59e77dc36c593
The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

From the front hallways to the back rooms

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these things doesn't belong?

Take the quiz
knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus
Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game
Examples: excursive in a Sentence