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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of discursive
The instructional promise of each episode was a bit, a starting point for discursive, funny, intermittently personal mini-essays that always started in Wilson’s beloved New York, but could and did make their way anywhere.
—
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026
Knowledge itself can be both logical and discursive.
—Bruce Schneier, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Jan. 2026
His palette is light, smudgy guitar textures and warm synths; his message, more gestural than discursive, is love and lust.
—Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2025
The story of Jussie Smollett had the effect of sucking one individual into a near-perfect storm of discursive tripwires.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discursive
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026
Knowledge itself can be both logical and discursive.
—Bruce Schneier, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Jan. 2026
His palette is light, smudgy guitar textures and warm synths; his message, more gestural than discursive, is love and lust.
—Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2025
The story of Jussie Smollett had the effect of sucking one individual into a near-perfect storm of discursive tripwires.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discursive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discursive
Adjective
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Thankfully, Babitz did exactly that — no rambling thoughts, petty accusations or amusing missives left unsaid.—
Michael Schaub,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
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Despite this rambling semi-introduction, Newman’s film makes quick work of all of this, recognizing that getting to the Tova-and-Cameron show (with, of course, many guest appearances by Marcellus) is the entire point of the picture.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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Oklou shares the same melodic grace in her wandering arpeggios, and the spectral balearic timewarp of Torus’ Summer of Love samples Stockholm’s own Eric Prydz.—
Nathan Evans,
Pitchfork,
12 May 2026
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Because my entire family is from Arequipa, natives often carry the white city with them in their wandering existence.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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Across industries, indirect goods and services can represent 10% to 20% of revenue.—
David Pennino,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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Use indirect heat and keep the ribs covered to prevent them from drying out.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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In return for her weird, digressive, and highly mannered manuscript, Lemann received a kill fee.—
Brandy Jensen,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2026
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Like all Kashian’s work, Alter-Kashian is densely packed, and her breakneck, digressive style doesn’t leave much room to come up for air.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discursive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discursive. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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