discretionary
adjective
dis·cre·tion·ary
di-ˈskre-shə-ˌner-ē 
1
: left to individual choice or judgment : exercised at one's own discretion
discretionary powers
2
: available for discretionary use
discretionary income
Examples of discretionary in a Sentence
discretionary spending on luxuries dropped dramatically last year
Recent Examples on the Web
For example, taking out a mortgage for a home or student loans for your education are typically advantageous as an investment, while most credit card debt and personal loans for discretionary spending are considered bad debt.
—
Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
Those trends continued into the second quarter and constitute a clear warning sign largely being overlooked, namely that households are indeed reducing their discretionary spending, according to the note.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 20 July 2025
Sales at restaurants and bars — often seen as a barometer of discretionary spending — rose a solid 0.6% in June.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 17 July 2025
Target executives have characterized the slump as temporary, citing higher inflation, weaker discretionary spending, Trump’s tariffs and backlash to its rollback of its DEI efforts.
—Josephine Rozzelle, CNBC, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for discretionary
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
Those trends continued into the second quarter and constitute a clear warning sign largely being overlooked, namely that households are indeed reducing their discretionary spending, according to the note.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 20 July 2025
Sales at restaurants and bars — often seen as a barometer of discretionary spending — rose a solid 0.6% in June.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 17 July 2025
Target executives have characterized the slump as temporary, citing higher inflation, weaker discretionary spending, Trump’s tariffs and backlash to its rollback of its DEI efforts.
—Josephine Rozzelle, CNBC, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for discretionary
Cite this Entry
“Discretionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discretionary. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
discretionary
adjective
dis·cre·tion·ary
dis-ˈkre-shə-ˌner-ē
: left to discretion : exercised at one's own discretion
specifically
: relating to the policy-making function of a public official see also Federal Tort Claims Act compare ministerial
Note: A public official generally has qualified immunity from lawsuits that arise from his or her discretionary acts.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share