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

Soto-Martínez said his office used discretionary funds to hire two crews from the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026

Tracking of cardholder activity by Royal Bank of Canada, the country’s largest lender, showed consumer spending firmed modestly in March despite ongoing softness in discretionary goods.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Shopper numbers fell 15.9% to 5.7 million, another sign that weak confidence, soft discretionary spending and renewed outbound travel were eating into the island’s old appeal.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

The three major tech-focused sectors—information technology, consumer discretionary, and communications services—have all booked solid gains over the past five days and have led the market higher since its March 30 nadir.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

Spoade was the world’s champion sitter-around, no holds barred and gouging discretionary.

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner

Related Words

• unrestricted