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
About 76% of the city budget consists of city employee salaries and benefits, along with discretionary costs, per the report.
—
Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 7 June 2026
The research firm said discretionary retail visits dipped below prior-year levels in late April, and by mid-May, even essential, non-discretionary chains saw a year-over-year decline.
—Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 4 June 2026
It cannot be used for discretionary spending.
—Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 3 June 2026
From his perspective, the recent guidance should be viewed as an indication that discretionary review may receive greater scrutiny rather than as the elimination of adjustment of status pathways altogether.
—Nia Bowers, USA Today, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for discretionary
Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 7 June 2026
The research firm said discretionary retail visits dipped below prior-year levels in late April, and by mid-May, even essential, non-discretionary chains saw a year-over-year decline.
—Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 4 June 2026
It cannot be used for discretionary spending.
—Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 3 June 2026
From his perspective, the recent guidance should be viewed as an indication that discretionary review may receive greater scrutiny rather than as the elimination of adjustment of status pathways altogether.
—Nia Bowers, USA Today, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for discretionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discretionary
Adjective
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Zen Den runs under $2,000 for a week with meals included and offers optional life coaching add-ons.—
Hanna Wickes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 June 2026
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The program also includes two workshops with Marcello LaGreca focused on inner work, plus an optional Ayurvedic treatment by Dayna Holi.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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The order directed federal agencies to bolster the government’s cyber defenses and to design a mechanism for the government to gain early access to the most powerful AI models from companies like Anthropic and OpenAI on a voluntary basis.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
13 June 2026
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Crucially, this is a mandatory licensing action, not the voluntary testing framework the administration rolled out earlier this month.—
Sandy Carter,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discretionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discretionary. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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