discretionary
Americanadjective
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subject or left to one's own discretion.
-
for any use or purpose one chooses; not earmarked for a particular purpose.
discretionary income; a discretionary fund.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of discretionary
First recorded in 1690–1700; discretion + -ary
Explanation
Discretionary means it's up to you to decide. Bathing regularly is a discretionary act, so you can opt not to do it if you want; note, however, that your friends might disagree with us on this. Discretionary is often used to describe money that isn’t designated for a particular purpose. It’s up to the people in charge to decide how discretionary funds should be spent. Discretionary comes from the word discretion, which can be used to mean “the right to decide something based on one’s own judgment.” If you're given a task to complete at your discretion, you can decide how you want to do it — or whether you want to do it at all.
Vocabulary lists containing discretionary
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
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Just Mercy
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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 latter is baked into the law as a discretionary grant that is, despite USCIS’s description of it as an “extraordinary relief,” closer to the norm.
From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026
Industry executives also say they aren’t permitting as many adjustments to financial metrics, such as removing one-time or discretionary expenses, that can make companies look more creditworthy than they actually are.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Demand for more discretionary goods has also suffered over the past four years, with higher prices steering more shoppers toward basics like groceries.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026
"The use of herbs and natural seasonings as alternatives to salt or culinary techniques such as using the acidity of citrus fruits may help reduce discretionary salt use while maintaining food palatability," concluded Santos.
From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2026
Most prosecutors’ offices lack any manual or guidebook advising prosecutors how to make discretionary decisions.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
