digressive

American  

[dih-gres-iv, dahy-] / dɪˈgrɛs ɪv, daɪ- /

adjective

1. tending to digress; departing from the main subject.

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digressive British  

/ daɪˈɡrɛsɪv /

adjective

1. characterized by digression or tending to digress

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Other Word Forms

• digressively adverb
• digressiveness noun
• undigressive adjective
• undigressively adverb
• undigressiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of digressive

From the Latin word dīgressīvus, dating back to 1605–15. See digress, -ive

Example Sentences

The titular hero begins his digressive story with a comic account of his own conception; at his birth his nose is accidentally smashed by the “man-midwife,” Dr. Slop.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

But while the bloody rites of the original Euripides are at the heart of the tale, this version is so relentlessly digressive and irreverent that it plays more like parody than tragedy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025

However, it appears that the 79-year-old president mixed up the two men when telling one of his digressive stories, this time about Ted Kaczynski, aka the Unabomber.

From Salon • Jul. 23, 2025

It’s more digressive than a sitcom, more serial than a sketch comedy.

From New York Times • Jun. 6, 2024

Brougham made a great speech on education the other night, but it was so long, tedious, and digressive that he drove everybody away.

From The Greville Memoirs (Second Part) A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1852 (Volume 1 of 3) by Greville, Charles