discretionary

American  

[dih-skresh-uh-ner-ee] / dɪˈskrɛʃ əˌnɛr i /

adjective

1. subject or left to one's own discretion.

2. for any use or purpose one chooses; not earmarked for a particular purpose.

   discretionary income; a discretionary fund.

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discretionary British  

/ -ənrɪ, dɪˈskrɛʃənərɪ /

adjective

1. having or using the ability to decide at one's own discretion

   discretionary powers

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Other Word Forms

• discretionarily
  adverb
• nondiscretionary
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Take a long, hard look at your discretionary spending.

From MarketWatch • May 30, 2026

Consumer staples, communication services, energy, and consumer discretionary all fell 1% or more.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

They have a $1,900 mortgage, and still keep two cards—one for emergencies and one for discretionary expenses, which they try to limit.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

"However, these pathways are discretionary and rely on police identifying and articulating the situation as urgent," she said.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

The job was full of discretionary power and the decisions about how to use it were often moral.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

• unrestricted