desultory

adjective

ˈde-səl-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce desultory (audio)
Definition of desultorynext
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of desultory Where Bonnie and Clyde glamorizes its couple and their crimes, Loden renders Wanda passive and desultory in the lawless turn her life has taken. — Air Mail, 23 May 2026 There'd be people sitting outside smoking, having desultory conversations, playing games. — Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Mar. 2026 With all due respect to Swords and Holloway, Olson has taken the team on her back since Michigan’s desultory loss to Iowa last week. — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026 Though desultory violence by remaining members of the group continued for years, the autumn of 1977 marked the climax of the violent campaigns of extremist left wing groups in the country. — Jason Burke, Time, 27 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for desultory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desultory
  1. random
  2. rambling
  3. scattered
  4. wandering
  5. arbitrary
  6. indirect
  7. erratic
  8. discursive
Adjective
  • Belting out random songs while delivering high-level physical comedy and acting takes skill.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Furthermore, the whiskers are in front, preventing the drone from detecting sideways obstacles like random jagged branches in a forest.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of random
Adjective
  • After the event was disrupted by an armed intruder, the Administration and the association scheduled a July do-over, where Trump delivered a rambling speech indulging seemingly every tangent that sprang to mind, but his contempt remained apparent.
    — Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The rambling result is friendly and approachable—a one-level house with plenty of room for entertaining guests, as well as thoughtful steal-away spaces for catching your breath.
    — Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of rambling
Adjective
  • That rainfall was predicted to arrive in the form of light, scattered showers.
    — Austin Turner, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Security is thin and scattered downtown, and that morning was no different.
    — DP Opinion, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of scattered
Adjective
  • Despite this informal, jam-forward approach, however, Silk Fence appear to be chasing something; an understated but steady coherence gives direction to even their most wandering moments.
    — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Johnny JeanBaptiste, 36, and Stacia McMillian, 32, were charged with one count of child neglect without great bodily harm after deputies responded to the report of the wandering toddler, officials said.
    — Felix Rodriguez, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of wandering
Adjective
  • But labor campaigners said in the statement that their wage demand wasn’t arbitrary.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The initiative has not yet produced a universal virtual cell capable of accurately predicting arbitrary biological responses.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of arbitrary
Adjective
  • The remaining one-third of the effect comes from indirect impacts.
    — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • On Thursday, the Treasury Department sold $22 billion in 30-year notes, with indirect bidders — including central banks — taking more than 72% of the auction, above a 10-auction average of 68%.
    — Hugh Leask,Sean Conlon, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of indirect
Adjective
  • Has little people skills, lacks self-awareness and can sometimes exhibit erratic behavior.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and xAI’s Elon Musk scrawled their names in erratic cursive.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of erratic
Adjective
  • The prolific, award-winning British author’s novels are often plotless, discursive and frustratingly obtuse.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
  • And yet this metafictional doubling—in which people appear simultaneously as themselves and with a set of fictional flourishes—has the side effect of undermining the discursive conceit of the text.
    — Maya Binyam, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of discursive

Browse Nearby Words

desultorily
desultory
detach
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Cite this Entry

“Desultory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desultory. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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