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Synonyms

digressive

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

adjective

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


digressive British  
/ daɪˈɡrɛsɪv /

adjective

  1. characterized by digression or tending to digress

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of digressive

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

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.

The long, digressive rural idyll “NN” follows a sophisticated city dweller’s return to the village of his childhood country house.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

The photography is occasionally dazzling—a standout sequence is a series of time-lapse images providing views of the movements of the stars over Africa—but Mr. Herzog is primarily a storyteller, albeit a digressive one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

The dialogue is naturally digressive, sliding in just as much exposition as needed with a magician’s sleight of hand.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 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

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

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