How to Use discretionary in a Sentence

discretionary

adjective
  • For some, the changes are more discretionary.
    — Mike Winters,kate Dore, Cfp®, Ea,jennifer Liu,sarah Agostino,ryan Ermey, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Due process is not discretionary.
    — Rosalind Osgood, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Yeah, so there are some signs that discretionary spending is low.
    — Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2024
  • Those goods ranged from food to discretionary items like home decor and lawn and gardens.
    — Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 27 July 2022
  • It cannot be used for discretionary spending.
    — Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 23 Apr. 2026
  • It cannot be used for discretionary spending.
    — Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 3 June 2026
  • There’s still a legal process to go through with a lot of discretionary hurdles.
    — Nathan Deuel, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2021
  • Few trips are discretionary — people have to go to work and school and feed themselves.
    — Carol Becker, Star Tribune, 4 May 2021
  • Why will someone part with their discretionary income and buy this?
    — Molly Baker, WSJ, 2 June 2021
  • Um, this was through a city discretionary fund for council members.
    — Laura Johnston, cleveland, 11 May 2022
  • Not all driving is discretionary–some is needed for work.
    — Stephan Bisaha, NPR, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Much of the money came from district discretionary funds.
    — Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Much of the money came from district discretionary funds.
    — Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 9 Mar. 2026
  • More than half of Target’s sales are discretionary.
    — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 13 Dec. 2025
  • Schools can buy more counselor and nurse days using their own discretionary money.
    — Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2023
  • Pause discretionary spending Avoid adding more fuel to the fire.
    — Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 26 Dec. 2025
  • Everyone there is making a discretionary purchase and knows the price of a beer.
    — Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
  • There should be a little room in your budget for some discretionary spending that helps others.
    — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, 13 Dec. 2020
  • Members also have discretionary budgets to spend on the projects or services of their choice.
    — Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2022
  • The appeal is discretionary, which means the Court can decide whether or not to address it.
    — Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 10 Jan. 2023
  • Which is not to say there won’t be any additional discretionary spending.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 8 June 2026
  • The rule is described in the filing as mandatory rather than discretionary.
    — Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Regulators are tossing due process and the rule of law to the curb to make way for broad and discretionary power.
    — Rachel Chiu, National Review, 25 Oct. 2021
  • Consider holding one the first weekend of the month when many people get paid and have more discretionary cash.
    — Samantha S. Thorpe, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 July 2021
  • But by then, the money had already been spent on discretionary staffing at the expense of basic services.
    — Mark Powell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Some of these may be staples in the long run, but the purchase in any particular month or year is discretionary.
    — Bill Conerly, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
  • But seller discretionary earnings or true net profit.
    — Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 3 Jan. 2026
  • Yet, these children, struggling to survive, are not discretionary.
    — Todd Spitzer, Oc Register, 25 May 2026
  • The city has leaned on its rainy-day reserves and discretionary funds to cover the deficit for the current budget cycle.
    — Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 7 Feb. 2026
  • When the board sees skills as assets with a refresh cycle, the budget stops looking discretionary.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discretionary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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