Meaning & use
discretionary
Last updated
Available for use at someone's own judgment or choice, rather than being fixed or required.
See it in a sentence
After paying the bills, the family had very little discretionary income left for entertainment.
The manager has discretionary authority to approve small expenses without higher approval.
A note on using this word
Discretionary is especially common in financial and legal contexts, as in "discretionary spending" or "discretionary powers."
Words with a similar meaning
optionalflexible
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
mandatoryobligatory
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