HOW TO PRONOUNCE
desultory
/ˈdɛs.əlˌtɔɹ.i/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does desultory mean?
adjective
- Jumping, or passing, from one thing or subject to another, without order, planning, or rational connection; lacking logical sequence.
- Out of course; by the way; not connected with the subject.
- Disappointing in performance or progress.
More meanings (1)
adjective
- (obsolete) Leaping, skipping or flitting about, generally in a random or unsteady manner.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/ˈdɛs.əlˌtɔɹ.i/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
“I can hardly say. He ‘s like a watch that ‘s running down. He is moody, desultory, idle, irregular, fantastic.”
Naturally as we did all this in the spirit of an idle joke our rewards and punishments were rather desultory.
More book examples (3)
He spent years and years in desultory studies, undertakings, and meditations; he began to evince considerable indifference to social forms and observances.
Reviewing the passages which bear on this important subject, we cannot fail to be struck by the desultory and unmethodical fashion in which it is treated.
The response came desultory, as the rattle of musketry in a skirmish, then heavier from the bigger guns, as is the case in all reformatory work.