desultory

[ des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ]

adjective

1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful:

   desultory conversation.

2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random:

   a desultory remark.

desultory

/ ˈdɛsəltərɪ; -trɪ /

adjective

1. passing or jumping from one thing to another, esp in a fitful way; unmethodical; disconnected
2. occurring in a random or incidental way; haphazard

   a desultory thought

Derived Forms

• ˈdesultoriness, noun
• ˈdesultorily, adverb

Other Words From

• desul·tori·ly adverb
• desul·tori·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of desultory¹

1575–85; < Latin dēsultōrius pertaining to a dēsultor (a circus rider who jumps from one horse to another), equivalent to dēsul-, variant stem of dēsilīre to jump down ( dē- de- + -silīre, combining form of salīre to leap) + -tōrius -tory ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of desultory¹

C16: from Latin dēsultōrius, relating to one who vaults or jumps, hence superficial, from dēsilīre to jump down, from de- + salīre to jump

Example Sentences

The Americans and their allies are carrying out a desultory air campaign in Syria that appears focused on support for the Kurds.

From The Daily Beast

Yammara has been sleeping in desultory fashion with a student, Aura, who then turns up pregnant and moves in with him.

From The Daily Beast

His closing argument was a “desultory mess,” so bad that he lost the case.

From The Daily Beast

Most of that is the desultory ticky-tacky kind that litters the right side of people's Facebook profiles.

From The Daily Beast

Libya sank into civil war with NATO's desultory participation taking it toward stalemate, maybe even break-up.

From The Daily Beast

A desultory conversation on politics, in which neither took the slightest interest, was a safe neutral ground.

From Project Gutenberg

In the lulls, Robert and his mother exchanged bits of desultory conversation.

From Project Gutenberg

The exchange, however, was still the field where a desultory fight was kept up by the shareholders.

From Project Gutenberg

And you will find I have a good deal of what you have, only mine in a perfectly desultory manner, as is necessary to 358 an exile.

From Project Gutenberg

Their desultory discourse was soon interrupted by their arrival at the cottage of Mr. Wharton.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• aimless
• chaotic
• erratic
• haphazard