1
as in random
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern
a desultory search for something of interest on TV
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rambling
passing from one topic to another
a desultory discussion about the news of the day
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of desultory
The presence of Notre Dame, the presence of Hannah Hidalgo, who had torched UConn twice before and is also in the national player-of-the-year conversation, the memory of a desultory loss in South Bend a year ago were enough to stoke Strong on Monday night.
—
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 20 Jan. 2026
Once more, police made desultory enquiries and soon lost interest, their investigative resources stretched thin by a recent string of bombings in London by Irish republican extremists.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
Conversation at Mels Diner is desultory and disinclined to matters so impractical, uncomfortable.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
In a somewhat desultory Virginia childhood, fishing with my father was a recurring motif.
—AFAR Media, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desultory
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 20 Jan. 2026
Once more, police made desultory enquiries and soon lost interest, their investigative resources stretched thin by a recent string of bombings in London by Irish republican extremists.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
Conversation at Mels Diner is desultory and disinclined to matters so impractical, uncomfortable.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
In a somewhat desultory Virginia childhood, fishing with my father was a recurring motif.
—AFAR Media, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desultory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desultory
Adjective
-
Those aren’t just random stories.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
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Law enforcement will also have random checkpoints throughout the county to catch impaired drivers, according to the department's website.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Mardi is a rambling story, and reviewers were not kind.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
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The rambling, low-slung building, containing 200 rooms, including 36 suites, is easy to get lost in.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There are a few, scattered references to female gladiators.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
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Within minutes of leaving town, the pavement twists downward through tight turns and steep grades as the mountain air begins to warm, the vegetation giving way to chaparral and scattered juniper, then to the stark silhouettes of ocotillo and Mojave yucca.—
Josh Jackson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Like Fox Lake mom Priscilla Marshall, 34, whose 11-year-old son was found wandering village streets last month, bloody and beaten, authorities said.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
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The adventurous rapper and producer take a more refined approach on a collaborative album full of wandering thoughts and odd, understated beats.—
Stephen Kearse,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The fundamental processes governing brain health — genetics, neural and synaptic plasticity, and neuroinflammation — do not respect the arbitrary boundaries drawn between neurology and psychiatry.—
Eric J. Nestler,
STAT,
28 Apr. 2026
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White-Jacket did cause a stir with its discussion of the arbitrary and cruel use of flogging in the US Navy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Concerns about the independence of the CRTC have also been raised by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage in connection with indirect forms of influence such as perceptions of close ties between those serving on the commission, the industry, and industry law firms.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
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That indirect pathway is fundamentally constrained by thermodynamic limits, particularly the Carnot efficiency ceiling associated with heat engines, which restricts how much of the fuel’s energy can be converted into usable electricity.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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While playing his first full season as a starter last year, Manning looked like an erratic youngster for the first half of 2025, before eventually settling in and playing much better ball down the stretch.—
Nick Baumgardner,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Trump’s erratic tariffs, his contempt for NATO, and uneven support for Ukraine’s defense against a Russian invasion have left him fairly alone.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The temporary and discursive structure allowed global visibility without institutional permanence.—
Daniel Birnbaum,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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Real Man Adventures isn’t broken up into chapter-length sections of narrative, but rather brief, discursive essays.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desultory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desultory. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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