desultory

American  

[des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ˈdɛs əlˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

adjective

1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful.

   desultory conversation.

2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random.

   a desultory remark.

---

desultory British  

/ ˈdɛsəltərɪ, -trɪ /

adjective

1. passing or jumping from one thing to another, esp in a fitful way; unmethodical; disconnected

2. occurring in a random or incidental way; haphazard

   a desultory thought

---

Other Word Forms

• desultorily adverb
• desultoriness noun

Etymology

Origin of desultory

1575–85; < Latin dēsultōrius pertaining to a dēsultor (a circus rider who jumps from one horse to another), equivalent to dēsul-, variant stem of dēsilīre to jump down ( dē- de- + -silīre, combining form of salīre to leap) + -tōrius -tory ¹

Example Sentences

Then again, it’s all too easy to be distracted from the desultory happenings on stage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

The playfulness of Wohl’s style, while at times informal to the point of desultory, treats the past as an autonomous reality.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025

Last night he did an obscure X interview show and seemed desultory and depressed.

From Salon • Sep. 4, 2024

The lobby bar at the town’s only hotel—usually so desultory on non–parents’ weekend weekends that it closed around 8—was jammed with visitors from surrounding states.

From Slate • Apr. 8, 2024

They spoke instead in a desultory fashion of current events.

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

Related Words

• aimless
• chaotic
• erratic
• haphazard