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Glite Dictionary
excursive

excursive

9.7
To wander away from the main subject in speech or writing and cover many topics
  • adjective
  • /ɪkˈsɜːrsɪv/
  • Formal
translation icon : digresivo
  • The novel's excursive narrative jumps between various historical periods without a clear focus.

What I've got here is kind of excursive through the history of ancient philosophy, and it's rooted in something contemporary.

Examples

  • Her writing style is excursive, frequently straying into unrelated anecdotes.

  • What I've got here is kind of excursive through the history of ancient philosophy, and it's rooted in something contemporary.

    Gregory B. Sadler - That Philosophy Guy

  • The lecturer's excursive remarks often left the students confused about the main topic.

Synonyms

rambling
vsexcursive
  • Informal
6 6.1

Lengthy and confused speech or writing that loses its main point

is more neutral and wanders across topics without length or confusion
discursive
vsexcursive
  • Formal
1 8.3

Speaking or writing that moves from one topic to another without clear order

focuses on wandering across many topics rather than disorderly topic shifts
digressive
vsexcursive
  • Formal
1 8.1

Tending to move away from the main subject and talk about other things

is broader and moves freely across a wide range of topics

Antonyms

concise
37 4.2

Using few words to give important information clearly

focused
3.0

Giving full attention to one thing

How Digressive

rambling
33 5.5
discursive
  • Formal
1 8.3
excursive
  • Formal
9.7
tangential
7 8.1

Surface Forms

excursive positive

Morphology

excursive = excursion (semi-transparent) = ex + curs + ive

The form is built from ex- + curs + -ive (related to 'excursion'), so a learner who knows 'excursion' may infer the sense, but the root 'curs' is not a standalone modern English word and the adjective is relatively rare.

Etymology

Excursive comes from the parts ex- 'out' and cur- 'run', the same root you see in excursion and course. So, to be excursive is to 'run out' from the main topic and 'wander' over many subjects.