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
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.
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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
There’s something discursive about the way the music and narrative and gestures of the performers only combine in your head.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for discursive 
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
There’s something discursive about the way the music and narrative and gestures of the performers only combine in your head.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for discursive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discursive
Adjective
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His statement came a day after the release of the Netflix series, which takes viewers back to the morning after Christmas 28 years ago, when JonBenét’s mother called 911 to report finding a rambling ransom note and her daughter missing.Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 3 Dec. 2024
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There is more than 178 feet of beach and ocean frontage, which can be accessed via a rambling wooden staircase.Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The film is narrated in the languages of the cultures the characters move through, as Burmese gives way to Thai, to Vietnamese, and beyond — a wandering, collective dream.Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
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Take in all of Bernardo’s wandering wonder, then listen to what makes your traveling heart beat stronger.Laura Manske, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Aleksandra Bal covers indirect tax and technology developments.Aleksandra Bal, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
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According to a local economic impact report released by Treviño earlier this year, more than 3,400 SpaceX employees and contractors work at the Starbase site, while more than 21,000 indirect jobs in the community are generated by Starbase.Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Yet, as digressive as its surface seems, an artist’s sense of creative organization is at work.Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2024
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Trump himself has felt obliged to address his digressive rambling.Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near discursive
Cite this Entry
“Discursive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discursive. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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