discretionary
adjective
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Definition of discretionary
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Synonyms & Antonyms for discretionary
Synonyms
Antonyms
compulsory, mandatory, nonelective, nonvoluntary, obligatory, required
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Examples of discretionary in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
If Americans curtail their discretionary spending going forward, the economy would likely take a hit. — Anneken Tappe, CNN, "Consumers are worried about trade, and that's a bad sign for the economy," 30 Aug. 2019 Career training programs whose graduates owed 12 percent or more of their total annual income in debt payments and 30 percent or more of their discretionary income would fail. — NBC News, "'They just saw me as a dollar sign': How some certificate schools profit from vulnerable students," 11 July 2019 The disparity is worse when factoring in the bank's discretionary bonuses - the lifeblood of many large investment banks. — Renae Merle, chicagotribune.com, "Wall Street's average bonus in 2017? Three times what most US households made all year.," 26 Mar. 2018 The gap widens to 72 percent for year-end discretionary bonuses, a spokesman for the Wall Street bank said Friday. — Bloomberg.com, "Goldman Sachs Pays Females in U.K. 56% Less Than Male Colleagues," 16 Mar. 2018 The gender pay gap for bonuses is even more stark: Women receive discretionary bonuses that are 79% lower on average than men. — David Carrig, USA TODAY, "Barclays investment bank division pays women half as much as men," 23 Feb. 2018 The need to borrow more money has been aggravated by several bipartisan budget agreements to raise military and nondefense domestic discretionary spending. — Emily Cochrane, BostonGlobe.com, "Deficit will reach $1 trillion next year, budget office predicts," 21 Aug. 2019 Experts have said North Texans' religiosity, combined with higher discretionary spending, has fueled the region's giving spirit. — Dallas News, "Study: Dallas donates nearly $100 million to charity in 2018, showing 'astonishing' growth in giving," 20 Aug. 2019 Sectors that rely on more discretionary spending, such as leisure, hospitality and retail, all will lose jobs. — Janna Herron, USA TODAY, "A decade after the big one, what kind of recession will we have next?," 19 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'discretionary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for discretionary
discretionary
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of discretionary
See the full definition for discretionary in the English Language Learners Dictionary
discretionary
adjective
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Legal Definition of discretionary
Note: A public official generally has qualified immunity from lawsuits that arise from his or her discretionary acts.
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