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discursive Definition

dis·cur·sive (di skʉrsiv)

adjective

  1. wandering from one topic to another; skimming over many apparently unconnected subjects; rambling; desultory; digressive
  2. based on the conscious use of reasoning rather than on intuition

Etymology: ML discursivus < L discursus: see discourse

Related Forms:

discursive Synonyms

discursive

modif.

discursive Usage Examples

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • develop: Develop student discursive and interpretative skills through appropriate interactive and assessment activities.

Modifies a noun

  • saturation: This form of activity is characterized by a high degree of discursive saturation.
  • psychology: In this paper, I consider a possible approach derived from discursive psychology.
  • formation: The weight of absence is alleviated by the resignation of the discursive formation based on presence.
  • essay: A 1000 word discursive essay based on the oral presentation.
  • construction: The discursive construction of the National Grid for Learning.
  • writing: The report encouraged teachers to be able to show good discursive writing.

Modifying Another Word

  • rather: Mitchell's piece on identities in Asia Minor is rather discursive, but all the better for it.
  • fundamentally: It is a fundamentally discursive environment which takes the asynchronous discussion board as its central tool.
  • thoroughly: This, we saw, is particularly true of philosophy which is thoroughly discursive.
  • largely: Power was once largely discursive, But it now is largely informational.
  • highly: The style is highly discursive, leap-frogging forward and backward across the decades, without ever sacrificing thrust or clarity.
  • often: His tone is often discursive, distinctly American, and always deftly directed toward each poem's purposes.

Used with adjective complement

  • become: With Light Reading, they created an environment which encouraged artists and viewers alike to become actively discursive within an intimate yet public arena.