desultory
Americanadjective
-
lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful.
desultory conversation.
-
digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random.
a desultory remark.
adjective
-
passing or jumping from one thing to another, esp in a fitful way; unmethodical; disconnected
-
occurring in a random or incidental way; haphazard
a desultory thought
Other Word Forms
- desultorily adverb
- desultoriness noun
Etymology
Origin of desultory
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Why not place a bet on Tala Madani, whose desultory drawing and wildly rebarbative conceits might have the impact at the Met that artists like Matisse once had in Paris?
From Washington Post
Outside, in the sun-baked courtyard ringing the building, a few students wandered around desultorily.
From BBC
Okpebholo’s “Romance” — a sensual, desultory evening come to life from a blissful McKay poem — unwound in an aimless but seductive way.
From New York Times
And he is still clearly rankled by being hit with a fine for what he describes as rather desultory birthday party.
From New York Times
“People were missing. Children were missing. Parents were missing. Those left behind filed desultory missing-persons reports, then moved on themselves.”
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
