as in optional
subject to one's freedom of choice
discretionary spending on luxuries dropped dramatically last year
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Recent Examples of discretionary
Frederick Liu, who argued for the government, said an exception to the FTCA preventing plaintiffs from suing the government for damages that arise out of an officer’s discretionary acts applies to the case.
—
Ella Lee, The Hill, 12 June 2025
That funding stream also makes up just 10% of the county’s discretionary funding.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2025
The entire non-defense discretionary budget amounts to about nine hundred billion dollars—one-seventh of the total.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
One protection now in place is that county supervisors need approval from the wider board before issuing contracts using their discretionary funding.
—Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for discretionary
Ella Lee, The Hill, 12 June 2025
That funding stream also makes up just 10% of the county’s discretionary funding.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2025
The entire non-defense discretionary budget amounts to about nine hundred billion dollars—one-seventh of the total.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
One protection now in place is that county supervisors need approval from the wider board before issuing contracts using their discretionary funding.
—Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for discretionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discretionary
Adjective
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Once in the main lounge, La Première customers can now book optional suites with a butler, a spacious living room, a bedroom with a double bed, a bathroom, and even an outdoor patio.—
Michele Robson,
Fortune,
5 July 2025
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However, in today's rapidly changing business landscape, empathy has become essential, not optional.—
Heather V. MacArthur,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
Such findings have almost always been resolved through voluntary resolutions between schools and the federal government.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
1 July 2025
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To that end, the feds can often compel witnesses to talk and share evidence (in contrast, the NBA relies on the voluntary cooperation of people outside the league).—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
29 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discretionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discretionary. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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