digression

noun

di·​gres·​sion dī-ˈgre-shən 

də-

1

: the act or an instance of leaving the main subject in an extended written or verbal expression of thought : the act or an instance of digressing in a discourse or other usually organized literary work

Every place Hamilton, his parents, or his wife visited over a century's time is described at length; everyone he met merits at least a minor biographical digression.

—Willard Sterne Randall

2

archaic : a going aside

digressional

dī-ˈgresh-nəl 

də-

-ə-nᵊl

adjective

digressionary

dī-ˈgre-shə-ˌner-ē 

də-

adjective

Synonyms

• aside
• divagation
• excursion
• tangent

Examples of digression in a Sentence

the professor's frequent and extended digressions are the stuff of campus legend

Recent Examples on the Web

There are almost no digressions on this show, none of the narrative curlicues and flourishes that elevate work above serviceable. —Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024

His whole digression into crypto bros and podcast listeners has been all over my For You pages this week, and for good reason. —David Pierce, The Verge, 27 Oct. 2024

As Tomlinson asks Chocolate about their dating decisions at 4:14, the audience seems delighted to leave the heavy topics of mental illness and fatherly failure and follow her on a Gary Gulman–esque digression into fantasyland. —John Roy, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2024

Prone to digression and omission, the Narrator is elusive despite his constant chattering. —Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see digress

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1