digressive
Americanadjective
adjective
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.
Having just nabbed the Pulitzer Prize, Bess Wohl’s where-did-the-feminist-movement-go-wrong? play “Liberation” seems the likely winner, and a worthy one, despite its shaggy and digressive structure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
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
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
Reporting on this impact is far more helpful than digressive debates over the exact meaning of the word "fascist."
From Salon ● Jan. 22, 2025
In his commentaries he rejected the current digressive and allegorical methods, and steered a middle course between free research on the one hand, and blind adherence to tradition on the other.
From Chapters on Jewish Literature by Israel Abrahams
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
