discursive
rambling and moving from topic to topic without order
Word origin: From Latin discurrere, to run about, from currere, to run.
Discursive in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing discursive in a sentence.
His discursive lectures wandered far from the announced subject.
The memoir is charming but discursive, wandering through decades with little regard for chronology.
Using “discursive” well
Discursive describes writing or speech that rambles from topic to topic, pairing with digressive and meandering. In philosophy it has a separate, neutral sense (proceeding by reasoning), but the rambling sense dominates on the GRE.
More GRE words starting with D
to engage in something superficially or as a casual pastime
a raised platform for speakers or honored guests
to waste time or act without urgency
to make something slightly wet, or to make a feeling or reaction less strong
marked with spots or patches of color or light
to intimidate or discourage with fear or doubt
to move slowly or waste time idly
a scarcity or shortage of something
Questions about “discursive”
See these words the way the GRE tests them.
Definitions in isolation do not stick. Sit a free, full-length GRE mock and meet this vocabulary inside real text completion and sentence equivalence questions, with your score and a worked solution for every answer.