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
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.
Discretionary goods spending rose 1% to extend an improvement after near-flat readings earlier in the year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
Discretionary companies are up against a consumer that is becoming choosier about where to spend money amid higher inflation and an uptick in interest rates.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
Discretionary spending is what consumers purchase after paying for essentials like housing, food and transportation.
From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026
He’s the author of a forthcoming book Pardons: Discretionary Clemency and the Rule of Law in Britain and America 1066–2026, all about the history of U.S. presidential pardons and the power they hold.
From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026
"Discretionary powers" sounded as if he thought she was a quite intelligent young person.
From The Rose-Garden Husband by Widdemer, Margaret
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.
