as in rambling
passing from one topic to another
the speaker's discursive style made it difficult to understand his point
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Recent Examples of discursive
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
The concerto can appear undisciplined and discursive, with a running time of 70 minutes, a medley-like approach to style and a finale that brings in a male choir for a paean to nature.
—Joshua Barone, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for discursive
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
The concerto can appear undisciplined and discursive, with a running time of 70 minutes, a medley-like approach to style and a finale that brings in a male choir for a paean to nature.
—Joshua Barone, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for discursive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discursive
Adjective
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Refine your key points to be clear and concise—no rambling monologues.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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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
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The wandering pack needs more females for their new society and there are two females and two males inside the small cage.—
Chip Bell,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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The old man who, with his grandson, kept that wandering tradition alive that left many of the Aiel ready to abandon the path laid out for them.—
Sean T. Collins,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff held both direct and indirect discussions during the meeting that lasted more than four hours, according to a U.S. official.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
19 Apr. 2025
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In February, the National Institutes of Health announced a similar cut to indirect research costs, prompting several lawsuits.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The novel is detailed, digressive, densely populated, dull at times (as life is) and capable of tracking the most minute shifts in emotional weather.—
MJ Franklin,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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His narratives often seem spontaneously discovered to the point of digressive fascination, yet his works and scenes of nonfiction are no less craftsmanlike or refined than his fictional ones.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
26 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discursive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discursive. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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