discretionary

English

Etymology

discretion +‎ -ary (“pertaining to”). Compare French discrétionnaire.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈskɹɛʃən(ə)ɹi/

• Audio (Berkshire)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /dɪsˈkɹɛʃəˌnɛɹi/

Adjective

discretionary (comparative more discretionary, superlative most discretionary)

1. Available at one's discretion; able to be used as one chooses; left to or regulated by one's own discretion or judgment.

   discretionary income

   discretionary powers

   • 2020 May 6, Prof. Andrew McNaughton, “Time to challenge some sacred philosophies of recent years”, in Rail, page 32:

     The new normal: Will demand quickly return to pre-COVID levels?
     Unlikely, if only because with the country (and the world) in deep recession, many younger people will be in serious financial difficulty. A lack of disposable income simply won't allow them much discretionary travel.

Derived terms

• discretionary account
• discretionary spending
• nondiscretionary
• nondiscretionary spending

Synonyms

• at one's discretion
• elective
• optional

Translations

available at one's discretion

• Czech: ke zvážení, na zvážení n
• Danish: diskretionær
• Finnish: harkinnanvarainen
• French: discrétionnaire (fr)
• German: auf Ermessen beruhend, nach freiem Ermessen gewährt, Ermessens-, ins freie Ermessen gestellt, frei verfügbar, dem eigenen Gutdünken überlassen
• Hungarian: választható (hu), belátás szerinti, tetszés szerinti, megítélés szerinti, (saját/szabad) belátása/megítélése szerinti, saját/szabad belátására/megítélésére bízott, diszkrecionális (hu)

• Icelandic: geðþótta-, (chosen at will) valinn að vild m, (of one's own accord) að eigin ákvörðun (is)
• Italian: discrezionale
• Portuguese: discricionário (pt)
• Russian: предоставленный (ru) (predostavlennyj) на (ru) (na) собственное (ru) (sobstvennoje) усмотре́ние (ru) n (usmotrénije)
• Spanish: discrecional