Standard Lemma guide

discursive

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /dɪsˈkɜː(ɹ)sɪv/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)sɪv
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 S K ER1 S IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of or concerning discourse.

Tending to digress from the main point.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: digressive, rambling, discoursive

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of or concerning discourse.

Using reason and argument rather than intuition.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: discoursive

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

(of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • amusingly digressive with satirical thrusts at women's fashions among other things
  • a rambling discursive book
  • his excursive remarks
  • a rambling speech about this and that

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: digressive, excursive, rambling

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

proceeding to a conclusion by reason or argument rather than intuition

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dianoetic

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French discursif, formed from the stem of Latin discursus and the suffix -if, and in part borrowed from Medieval Latin discursivus. By surface analysis, discourse + -ive.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: безсистемен (bezsistemen) — tending to digress from the main point; rambling
  • Bulgarian: несвързан (nesvǎrzan) — tending to digress from the main point; rambling
  • Catalan: discursiu — tending to digress from the main point; rambling
  • Chinese Mandarin: 離題 /离题 (lítí) — tending to digress from the main point; rambling
  • Chinese Mandarin: 漫無邊際 /漫无边际 — tending to digress from the main point; rambling
  • Finnish: diskursiivinen — tending to digress from the main point; rambling
  • French: discursif — tending to digress from the main point; rambling
  • Greek: ασυνάρτητος (asynártitos) — tending to digress from the main point; rambling
  • Greek: αμετροεπής (ametroepís) — tending to digress from the main point; rambling
  • Greek: πλατειαστικός (plateiastikós) — tending to digress from the main point; rambling
  • Catalan: discursiu — using reason and argument rather than intuition
  • Dutch: redenerend — using reason and argument rather than intuition
  • Finnish: diskursiivinen — using reason and argument rather than intuition
  • French: discursif — using reason and argument rather than intuition
  • Greek: διαλογικός (dialogikós) — using reason and argument rather than intuition
  • Greek: έλλογος (éllogos) — using reason and argument rather than intuition
  • Swedish: diskursiv — using reason and argument rather than intuition