1
as in random
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern
a desultory search for something of interest on TV
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rambling
passing from one topic to another
a desultory discussion about the news of the day
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of desultory
But by the early 1970s, he was ravaged by drug addiction, kicking off a cycle of spirals and comebacks and sporadic, desultory live appearances.
—
Rob Tannenbaum, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2025
Its most striking element is a tall glassy lobby that will provide a grand entrance from the new plaza, but the rest of the building is driven by functional massing that’s been sheathed with a desultory screen of metal and glass.
—Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2025
Daniel Gordon’s film focused on the 100-meter final at the Seoul Olympics, a race that was dominated by Ben Johnson, who then abdicated the crown after a positive steroid test, leaving Carl Lewis as the desultory victor.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025
But the Academy really didn’t go for Revolutionary Road, which received a Supporting Actor nod for Michael Shannon (back row, 11th from right) and desultory nominations for Art Direction and Costume Design but nothing for Winslet or her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio.
—Zach Schonfeld, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desultory
Rob Tannenbaum, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2025
Its most striking element is a tall glassy lobby that will provide a grand entrance from the new plaza, but the rest of the building is driven by functional massing that’s been sheathed with a desultory screen of metal and glass.
—Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2025
Daniel Gordon’s film focused on the 100-meter final at the Seoul Olympics, a race that was dominated by Ben Johnson, who then abdicated the crown after a positive steroid test, leaving Carl Lewis as the desultory victor.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025
But the Academy really didn’t go for Revolutionary Road, which received a Supporting Actor nod for Michael Shannon (back row, 11th from right) and desultory nominations for Art Direction and Costume Design but nothing for Winslet or her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio.
—Zach Schonfeld, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desultory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desultory
Adjective
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Mother Nature is unpredictable, fickle, random at best.—
Jim Clash,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
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Clean out the dust and refresh thermal paste: Older desktops tend to overheat, which can slow things down or cause random shutdowns.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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Refine your key points to be clear and concise—no rambling monologues.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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In the early morning hours of Dec. 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey called 911 to report her 6-year-old daughter JonBenét missing, and found a rambling ransom note left inside their Boulder, Colorado, home.—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The film is narrated in the languages of the cultures the characters move through, as Burmese gives way to Thai, to Vietnamese, and beyond — a wandering, collective dream.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2025
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The wandering pack needs more females for their new society and there are two females and two males inside the small cage.—
Chip Bell,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But Laxe’s cadence of death is nasty and arbitrary and delightful.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2025
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These bills would formalize what the Parole Board should already be doing and therefore limit arbitrary rejections.—
Julia Salazar,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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Little has come of new indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas led by Trump’s envoys and Qatar and Egyptian mediators in Doha.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
15 May 2025
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Cook over indirect heat: Make sure there are no flames directly beneath the food.—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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The president’s erratic policies are raising concerns the economy might be headed for a downturn, but history suggests that franchise values will continue to climb regardless.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2025
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Working with the brilliant but erratic Bart Eckland, Susan was a young biologist stationed far in the Panamanian rainforest years ago at Los Panos.—
Sixteen Ramos,
USA Today,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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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
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There’s a discursive ramble about ordering Chinese food that takes on a strange power.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
27 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desultory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desultory. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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