discretionary
Americanadjective
-
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
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Just Mercy
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
“All of the President’s assets are held in fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party financial institutions. Special Envoy Witkoff has divested from World Liberty Financial,” Kelly said in a statement.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
“All of President Trump’s assets are held in fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party financial institutions,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Industries in particular they flagged as beneficiaries, where strong earnings revisions are seemingly underappreciated, were consumer discretionary goods and transports.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
It also included $500,000 of discretionary funds that supervisors allocated to assist affected residents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 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.
