discursive

American  

[dih-skur-siv] / dɪˈskɜr sɪv /

adjective

1. passing aimlessly from one subject to another; digressive; rambling.

   Synonyms:

   prolix, long-winded, wandering

2. proceeding by reasoning or argument rather than intuition.

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discursive British  

/ dɪˈskɜːsɪv /

adjective

1. passing from one topic to another, usually in an unmethodical way; digressive

2. philosophy of or relating to knowledge obtained by reason and argument rather than intuition Compare dianoetic

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Other Word Forms

• discursively
  adverb
• discursiveness
  noun
• nondiscursive
  adjective
• nondiscursively
  adverb
• nondiscursiveness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of discursive

From the Medieval Latin word discursīvus, dating back to 1590–1600. See discourse, -ive

Explanation

If people accuse you of rambling from topic to topic in your speech or writing, they may say you have a discursive style — with changes in subject that are hard to follow. But it's okay because unicorns are shiny. The adjective discursive is often used to describe speech or writing that tends to stray from the main point, but the word can also have almost the opposite meaning. Discursive can also be used to describe an argument based on reason instead of intuition: "Her discursive dissertation on Colonial American women was well-argued and well-reasoned. Her professors were most impressed with her work."

Example Sentences

Discursive but never dull, his hair swept back and his glasses tinted orange, the 79-year-old Miller is ruminative and reflective, kind of like your favorite college professor, the one whose classes you’d never miss.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2024

Discursive observation and experiment are the sources of facts or particular truths.

From A Logic Of Facts Or, Every-day Reasoning by Holyoake, George Jacob

Discursive, general, ordinary, or common observation is the observation of the phenomena we find.

From A Logic Of Facts Or, Every-day Reasoning by Holyoake, George Jacob

Discursive principles are, accordingly, very different from intuitive principles or axioms.

From The Critique of Pure Reason by Meiklejohn, John Miller Dow

The knowledge, therefore, which is furnished by the Discursive Reason, Plato does not regard as "real Science."

From Christianity and Greek Philosophy or, the relation between spontaneous and reflective thought in Greece and the positive teaching of Christ and His Apostles by Cocker, B. F. (Benjamin Franklin)