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

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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 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 Once more, police made desultory enquiries and soon lost interest, their investigative resources stretched thin by a recent string of bombings in London by Irish republican extremists. — Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for desultory

Recent Examples of Synonyms for desultory

Adjective

Italy imposed the border controls -- which amounted to random police checks at airports and seaports for passengers arriving from Spain -- by claiming a threat to its internal security.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
Much like Arya killing the Night King, Bran Stark becoming king of Westeros remains a random and highly controversial choice nearly a decade since the ending of Game of Thrones.

— Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of random

Adjective

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

— Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026
But perhaps the hallmark of the interiors isn’t any object but the epic, rambling view of Los Angeles that unfurls beyond the restaurant’s windows.

— Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of rambling

Adjective

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
The right words can turn scattered details into a workable plan.

— Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 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

The economists suggest the tax rules are arbitrary and unfair.

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026
Ware pointed to a resilient economy and steady core inflation, arguing that stocks would be more vulnerable to a slowdown in either consumer spending or artificial-intelligence investment than to the 10-year crossing an arbitrary threshold.

— Sean Conlon,Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of arbitrary

Adjective

The sanctions aim to isolate the Islamic Republic from its remaining economic partners, including China, which buys more than 80% of Iranian oil shipments, usually through indirect channels.

— Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
The financial-services industry has always been an indirect and noisy prediction market for relatively narrow topics.

— Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of indirect

Adjective

During this year’s crossing, the PC13 developed erratic steering around the halfway point, which Oshen believes may have been caused by excessive friction in the rudder.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2026
The 24-year-old goalie often struggled with inconsistency in an erratic 2025-26 season.

— Max Bultman, New York Times, 15 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

Browse Nearby Words

desultorily

desultory

detach

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“Desultory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desultory. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of desultory

adjective

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