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
The takeaway: The AI archetype is a curious self-starter who is not only willing, but eager to take on the challenge of learning something new using his or her discretionary time to do so.
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Julia Dhar, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Crespo’s proposed idea sounds eminently sensible: Freeze state government hiring and impose an across-the-board reduction in discretionary spending.
—Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2025
In its budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, the Trump administration called for a 4 percent discretionary spending increase at the VA, largely targeting improvements to medical care and records technology.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
Certainly, this could just be a mini-downturn that could be weathered with a combination of discretionary spending reductions, contingency funds and rainy day funds.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for discretionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discretionary
Adjective
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Place the basil leaves (and optional lemon zest) into a clean glass jar.—
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Inside the cozy cockpit, leather, burl wood, and side curtains with sliding plastic windows take the driver back many decades to a time when radios were an optional nuisance—all that mattered was the vehicle and the road.—
Adjective
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These are also voluntary workouts, so no need to sound an alarm just yet.—
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The drills are still meant to be non-contact during the voluntary sessions.—
Cite this Entry
“Discretionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discretionary. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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