digressive

American  

[dih-gres-iv, dahy-] / dɪˈgrɛs ɪv, daɪ- /

adjective

1. tending to digress; departing from the main subject.

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digressive British  

/ daɪˈɡrɛsɪv /

adjective

1. characterized by digression or tending to digress

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Other Word Forms

• digressively adverb
• digressiveness noun
• undigressive adjective
• undigressively adverb
• undigressiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of digressive

From the Latin word dīgressīvus, dating back to 1605–15. See digress, -ive

Example Sentences

Wildly digressive, buzzing with literary allusions and telling its story as a 20th-century Shakespearean tragedy, the book has some of the mad, restless energy of Sellers himself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

The titular hero begins his digressive story with a comic account of his own conception; at his birth his nose is accidentally smashed by the “man-midwife,” Dr. Slop.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

Reporting on this impact is far more helpful than digressive debates over the exact meaning of the word "fascist."

From Salon • Jan. 22, 2025

For fans in the audience, it’s efficient one-stop shopping for what’s happening on today’s Top 40, including SZA’s wonderfully digressive R&B, Benson Boone’s earnest nice-guy balladry, Tate McRae’s neo-Britney dance-pop and Shaboozey’s post-hip-hop country music.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2024

It is in this incidental and digressive way that we get the description of the Gospel in i. 18-ii.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7 "Bible" to "Bisectrix" by Various