digression

[dih-gresh-uhn, dahy-]

noun

1. the act of digressing.

   Synonyms: divergence, deviation

2. a passage or section that deviates from the central theme in speech or writing.

   Synonyms: divergence, deviation

Other Word Forms

• digressional adjective
• digressionary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of digression¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin dīgressiōn-, stem of dīgressiō “departure,” from dīgress(us) “departed” (past participle of dīgredī “to go off, depart”; digress ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

Lepore follows chronology, flavoring her narrative with graphs, digressions, even a litany of failed amendments.

From Los Angeles Times

Shot on 35mm VistaVision, “One Battle After Another” will be a rare chance to see Anderson bring his sly digressions, oddball humor and tonal whiplash to a canvas usually reserved for Bayhem.

From Los Angeles Times

Curiously enough, one could argue that all histories can be reduced to family histories — with all their inconsistencies and digressions.

From Los Angeles Times

But the book’s circuitous, meandering structure, including a major digression about one of Siegfried’s sisters, tests the reader’s patience.

From Los Angeles Times

Shoehorning these random digressions into the film without any additional context to surmise their meaning just feels like Perkins is doing weird for weirdness’ sake.

From Salon

Related Words

• detour 
• footnote