as in optional
subject to one's freedom of choice
discretionary spending on luxuries dropped dramatically last year
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Recent Examples of discretionary
This means, cutting back on takeout and cooking more at home, pausing a couple extracurricular activities, and cutting all discretionary shopping.
—
Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 21 Oct. 2025
Sanogo said that, when individuals do not have the resources to buy everyday essentials or discretionary luxuries, seeing others treat expensive items casually can create feelings of scarcity, which may lead to envy or resentment.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Traditionally, women have been in charge of households’ purse strings and are responsible for more discretionary spending than their male counterparts.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
The public-health school has put limits on the amount of discretionary funds that faculty can spend to keep their research going, to ensure the longevity of those resources during the crisis.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discretionary
Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 21 Oct. 2025
Sanogo said that, when individuals do not have the resources to buy everyday essentials or discretionary luxuries, seeing others treat expensive items casually can create feelings of scarcity, which may lead to envy or resentment.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Traditionally, women have been in charge of households’ purse strings and are responsible for more discretionary spending than their male counterparts.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
The public-health school has put limits on the amount of discretionary funds that faculty can spend to keep their research going, to ensure the longevity of those resources during the crisis.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discretionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discretionary
Adjective
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But our skin tones aren’t optional features.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
22 Oct. 2025
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An optional vintage car tour through the historic center of Turin and a lunch at the storied Ristorante del Cambio will be offered the next day.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Back in August, Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor said roughly 300,000 federal workers would be gone from the government by the end of the year, noting that 80% of those departures were voluntary.—
Andrea Hsu,
NPR,
28 Oct. 2025
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It is not accredited by any major zoo or sanctuary associations, which is voluntary and comes with stricter welfare and conservation standards.—
Quinn Clark,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discretionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discretionary. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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