discursive

American  

[dih-skur-siv] / dɪˈskɜr sɪv /

adjective

1. passing aimlessly from one subject to another; digressive; rambling.

   Synonyms:

   prolix, long-winded, wandering

2. proceeding by reasoning or argument rather than intuition.

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discursive British  

/ dɪˈskɜːsɪv /

adjective

1. passing from one topic to another, usually in an unmethodical way; digressive

2. philosophy of or relating to knowledge obtained by reason and argument rather than intuition Compare dianoetic

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Other Word Forms

• discursively adverb
• discursiveness noun
• nondiscursive adjective
• nondiscursively adverb
• nondiscursiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of discursive

From the Medieval Latin word discursīvus, dating back to 1590–1600. See discourse, -ive

Example Sentences

“Cordially” is a little too jumpy for its own good, but its discursive heart is in the right place for these grievous times.

From Los Angeles Times

Fans of Nunez’s tartly discursive yet flowing novel will likely miss the snap of its critical observations on literary mind-sets and whatnot.

From Los Angeles Times

It may be true that at the discursive level there was a change in the way the president and the Mexican government talk about the drug trade.

From Los Angeles Times

Jelinek’s signature dramatic form is the theatrical monologue: lengthy paragraphs of discursive text without clearly indicated characters, stage directions or conventional plot.

From New York Times

Its sprawling a-star-is-born anecdotes seem to find their natural form in the towering performer’s 48-plus hours of discursive, disarming and often gloriously off-the-cuff narration.

From New York Times