DESULTORY Synonyms: 94 Similar and Opposite Words

desultory

adjective

ˈde-səl-ˌtȯr-ē

Definition of desultory

as in random

lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern a desultory search for something of interest on TV

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in rambling

passing from one topic to another a desultory discussion about the news of the day

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Adjective

In 1900, French mathematician Louis Bachelier used mathematics to model the random movement of prices in his Sorbonne thesis.

— Mamadou-Abou Sarr, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
How the Blue Cross fraud claims unfolded In January 2023, Blue Cross NC’s special investigations unit flagged C&FD and requested medical, operational and credentialing records for a random sample of 419 member claims, according to the lawsuit.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of random

Adjective

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
His public remarks are rambling and error-filled, and rely on a shrinking pool of vocabulary terms.

— Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of rambling

Adjective

Monday in Philadelphia stays cool and unsettled, with the front stalled just south of the region and scattered rain chances, especially across southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey and Delaware.

— Andrew Kozak, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
The scattered pieces of the former storm will likely drift over the Caribbean and soak Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Hispaniola with a few inches of rain, some of which will reach Florida.

— Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of scattered

Adjective

Cleveland also presumed rightly that Kiffin’s professional wandering eye meant the pairing was destined for a bad ending.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
With Black Friday and also Christmas Day games on Netflix only becoming a thing over the past couple of years, some have wondered if the NFL has a wandering eye.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of wandering

Adjective

He was convicted of four counts of war crimes including murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
Human rights groups and United Nations officials have accused the Syrian government of widespread abuses in its detention facilities, including torture and arbitrary detention of thousands of people, in many cases without informing their families.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of arbitrary

Adjective

Netanyahu pulled out of the agreement that March, but Qatar remained the principal venue for indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

— Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Alongside these projects, notable indirect investments include Aurora Media (Secuoya), Culture CAP 7 and Moby Dick.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of indirect

Adjective

Sagittarius A lot of romantic worries and anxieties are piling up, making your love life feel frenetic and erratic.

— Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2026
The money ladder A look back at recent past administrations shows an erratic but increasing amount of financial obligations canceled.

— Caren Morrison, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 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

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desultorily

desultory

detach

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“Desultory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desultory. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of desultory

adjective

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