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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Recent Examples of desultory
The Stanley Cup-holding Florida Panthers got there with Friday night’s desultory 2-0 home loss to the Maple Leafs to put their second round series at 3-3.
—
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 18 May 2025
Yet, the Raptors haven’t made the playoffs in the desultory East since 2022, when Philadelphia dispatched them in the first round.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 11 Apr. 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
The desultory attention to regional conditions compromises the book’s conclusions and recommendations.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for desultory
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 18 May 2025
Yet, the Raptors haven’t made the playoffs in the desultory East since 2022, when Philadelphia dispatched them in the first round.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 11 Apr. 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
The desultory attention to regional conditions compromises the book’s conclusions and recommendations.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for desultory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desultory
Adjective
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The bookstore idea came from a random day at her local coffee shop and an empty stall in the strip mall.—
Rick Mauch,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
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During a random search of the area, two officers accidentally stumble on a member of the gang posing as a municipal worker in a high-viz boiler suit.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The videos, which depict handwritten journals and a display of high-powered weaponry, paint a portrait of a person with a rambling and deeply nihilistic outlook, according to analyses by law enforcement and ABC News.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
27 Aug. 2025
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There’s nothing worse than a long, rambling story that’s resolved in an only-mildly humorous ending.—
Jay Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The result was a mile-long line that turned scattered craftwork into synchronized production.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Aug. 2025
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More likely, a supernova occurs inside a galaxy loaded with numerous, scattered clouds of gas and dust.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The caravan experience appealed to Bella, not because of the wandering but, rather, because Cuthbertson offered structure.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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His experience in law enforcement, combined with his desire to improve search and rescue methods, led him to establish a program that addresses the specific challenges of locating wandering individuals and streamlines local agencies' efforts.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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If senior figures display rudeness or disrespect, employees may assume that such behavior is acceptable, making selective enforcement seem arbitrary and undermining of trust.—
Andrew Binns,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Moreover, Burroughs further held that the administration’s actions were arbitrary and capricious, in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).—
Noah Feldman,
Twin Cities,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Hawaii will continue to feel indirect impacts today from moist air Kiko brought into the area and a weak wind field left in its wake, the National Weather Service said.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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This indirect pollution makes up about 80-90% of an insurance company's total climate risk exposure, far more than the emissions from running their own offices and operations.—
Mindy Lubber,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Between February and May, when Dudek’s tenure ended, his erratic rhetoric and decisions routinely made front-page news.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
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Dyrdhal knew all too well Gooden’s penchant for erratic violence.—
Mara H. Gottfried,
Twin Cities,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Written in the flush of a new friendship with co-producer, engineer, and musician Sam Weber, the album unspools a suite of folk miniatures riven with discursive melodies as evocative as the cultural ephemera dotted through the lyrics.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
29 Aug. 2025
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Kate Zambreno’s Animal Stories, the newest installment in the publisher’s Undelivered Lectures series, relates Nabokov’s anecdote as part of a searching, charmingly discursive meditation on zoos.—
Book Marks
August 28,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desultory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desultory. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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