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

The weakness in spending on services was due to consumers having to spend more of their discretionary income at the gasoline pump, said Eugenio Aleman, chief economist at Raymond James.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

Spending at restaurants, which can be an early indicator of consumer appetite for discretionary purchases, rose 0.1% on the month.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

A special-needs trust is also a specialized, discretionary trust, but one that is designed to provide for a beneficiary with a disability without disqualifying them from government benefits like Medicaid or Social Security Disability Insurance.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

“Even so, refunds appear large enough to absorb the shock and still leave some left over for savings or discretionary spending.”

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 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