discretionary income

noun

: income that is left after paying for things that are essential, such as food and housing
She has enough discretionary income to pay for a nice vacation each year.

Examples of discretionary income in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This is where a lot of American consumer discretionary income is going right now. — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 The monthly bills on PAYE, on the other hand, are capped at just 10% of a borrower's discretionary income. — Annie Nova, CNBC, 16 June 2026 Restaurant menu prices could rise Coming off a tough winter in which high home heating oil bills cut into discretionary income for dining out, restaurant owners were looking for an uptick in business this spring. — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 10 May 2026 Development began in 1961, with an aim to capture a new corner of the market by making an affordable, sporty car—fun but practical—for baby boomers coming of age with discretionary income. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for discretionary income

Rhymes for discretionary income

See All Rhymes for discretionary income

Browse Nearby Words

discretionary account
discretionary income
discretion is the better part of valor
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Discretionary income.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discretionary%20income. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All