as in rambling
passing from one topic to another
the speaker's discursive style made it difficult to understand his point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 discursive
Their discursive subjects might include an elevator speech to prep a significant other about the gaudiness of the family fortune.
—
Melvin Backman, Quartz, 19 Nov. 2024
As an impressionist, Carvey's style was more, well, impressionist — his gabbling, discursive George H.W. Bush spinning out further and further while remaining resolutely tethered to some measure of loony reality (taking a similar approach for his recent recurring stint as President Joe Biden).
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2025
Set entirely in Linda’s Manhattan apartment, the film freely and imaginatively recreates that long-ago afternoon and the wonderfully discursive exchange between these two singular individuals.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2025
There’s a discursive ramble about ordering Chinese food that takes on a strange power.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discursive
Melvin Backman, Quartz, 19 Nov. 2024
As an impressionist, Carvey's style was more, well, impressionist — his gabbling, discursive George H.W. Bush spinning out further and further while remaining resolutely tethered to some measure of loony reality (taking a similar approach for his recent recurring stint as President Joe Biden).
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2025
Set entirely in Linda’s Manhattan apartment, the film freely and imaginatively recreates that long-ago afternoon and the wonderfully discursive exchange between these two singular individuals.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2025
There’s a discursive ramble about ordering Chinese food that takes on a strange power.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discursive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discursive
Adjective
-
Refine your key points to be clear and concise—no rambling monologues.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
In the early morning hours of Dec. 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey called 911 to report her 6-year-old daughter JonBenét missing, and found a rambling ransom note left inside their Boulder, Colorado, home.—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The wandering crocs are not the only examples of animals that were able to survive on islands far longer than on the mainland.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
25 June 2025
-
This isn’t a facsimile of a woman’s wandering mind seen through a speculum by a man, but a deep recounting.—
Jane Alison
June 17,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2025
Adjective
-
In recent years, Iran has refused to engage in direct discussions with U.S. officials about its nuclear program and instead has insisted on indirect talks, with each government relaying messages through intermediaries.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
20 June 2025
-
The latest indirect talks between Iran and the U.S., set for last Sunday, were canceled.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
The path to achieving this goal was already a digressive one, weaving together singing competitions, cloned dogs and a bald-capped Fielder breastfeeding from a giant puppet.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
26 May 2025
-
The tabloid reader commuting home on the No. 4 train was given the same all-access pass to his protean intellect and lyrical, digressive sentences as the Park Avenue neighbor of William F. Buckley’s reading him, fireside, in the more rarefied outlets.—
Ginia Bellafante,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discursive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discursive. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share