discursive

adjective

dis·​cur·​sive di-ˈskər-siv 

1

a

: moving from topic to topic without order : rambling

gave a discursive lecture

discursive prose

b

: proceeding coherently from topic to topic

2

philosophy : marked by a method of resolving complex expressions into simpler or more basic ones : marked by analytical reasoning

3

: of or relating to discourse

discursive practices

discursively adverb

discursiveness noun

Did you know?

The Latin verb discurrere meant "to run about", and from this word we get our word discursive, which often means rambling about over a wide range of topics. A discursive writing style generally isn't encouraged by writing teachers. But some of the great 19th-century writers, such as Charles Lamb and Thomas de Quincey, show that the discursive essay, especially when gracefully written and somewhat personal in tone, can be a pleasure to read. And the man often called the inventor of the essay, the great Michel de Montaigne, might touch on dozens of different topics in the course of a long discursive essay.

Synonyms

• desultory
• digressional
• digressionary
• digressive
• excursive
• leaping
• maundering
• meandering
• rambling
• wandering

Examples of discursive in a Sentence

the speaker's discursive style made it difficult to understand his point

Recent Examples on the Web

Morrissey’s films, in contrast, contained more character and narrative (not to mention camera movement), though his films were still out there — with the dialogue often improvised and the stories strange and discursive. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2024

His debate performance was widely criticized, even among Republican allies, who lauded Harris for landing several key insults and baiting Trump into delivering several angry, discursive rants. —Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2024

That said, Beatty’s portrayal of the harried, discursive, libidinous George is irresistible even without context, as is the performance given by a young Goldie Hawn, who illuminates every frame—and perfectly counteracts Beatty—with blonde California light, and a heart-melting, downy innocence. —Vogue, 10 Sep. 2024

Shared Collections Maps, Power, and Identity The Ancient East Asian Maps Collection at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology demonstrates the power held and discursive work done by mapmakers. —JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin discursīvus "showing reasoned thought, logical," from discursus, past participle of discurrere "to range over, discuss" (going back to Latin, "to run off in different directions, [of a mind or speaker] branch out, range") + Latin -īvus -ive — more at discourse entry 1

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

discursive

adjective

dis·​cur·​sive dis-ˈkər-siv 

: passing from one topic to another

a discursive speech

discursively adverb

discursiveness noun