desultory
adjective
Herman Wouk
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The Latin adjective desultorius was used by the ancients to refer to a circus performer (called a desultor) whose trick was to leap from horse to horse without stopping. It makes sense, then, that someone or something desultory "jumps" from one thing to another. (Desultor and desultorius, by the way, come from the Latin verb salire, meaning "to leap.") A desultory conversation leaps from one topic to another and doesn't have a distinct point or direction. A desultory student skips from one subject to another without applying serious effort to any particular one. A desultory comment is a digressive one that jumps away from the topic at hand. And a desultory performance is one resulting from an implied lack of steady, focused effort.
Synonyms
Examples of desultory in a Sentence
Josh Bell, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
There are no twisted strings, no mangled head, no desultory tossing of the useless implement to the side.
—James Hansen, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
Trade between the states remains strong, yet communication between the two countries, once robust, is now mostly desultory meetings between officials and foreign ministers.
—Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2021
The Expos finished 52-110. — 1943 and 1916 Athletics, 20 in a row: Mack (not Mauch) staggered through a desultory August 1943, that included 24 losses in the last 25 games of the month.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Desultory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desultory. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.
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desultory
adjective
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