Word of the Day
: July 3, 2025

\DEH-sul-tor-ee\ adjective

What It Means

Desultory is a formal word used to describe something that lacks a plan or purpose, or that occurs without regularity. It can also describe something unconnected to a main subject, or something that is disappointing in progress, performance, or quality.

// After graduation, I moved from job to job in a more or less desultory manner before finding work I liked.

// The team failed to cohere over the course of the season, stumbling to a desultory fifth place finish.

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desultory in Context

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