Definition of excursivenext
as in rambling
passing from one topic to another an excursive story line that some readers of Melville's novel find very rewarding

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for excursive
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
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
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
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
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Excursive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excursive. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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