desultory play

adjective DEH-sul-tor-ee

Definition of desultory
1: marked by lack of definite plan, regularity, or purposea dragged-out ordeal
of … desultory shopping— Herman Wouk
2: not connected with the main subjectdesultory comments
3: disappointing in progress, performance, or qualitya desultory fifth place
finisha desultory wine
Other Words from desultory
desultorily \ ˌde-səl-ˈtȯr-ə-lē  \ adverb
desultoriness \ ˈde-səl-ˌtȯr-ē-nəs  \ noun
 Synonyms & Antonyms for desultory
Synonyms

 aimless, 
 arbitrary, 
 catch-as-catch-can , 
 erratic, 
 haphazard, 
 helter-skelter, 
 hit-or-miss, 
 random, 
 scattered, 
 slapdash, 
 stray

Antonyms

 methodical 
 (also methodic), 
 nonrandom, 
 orderly, 
 organized, 
 regular, 
 systematic, 
 systematized
Did you know?
The Latin adjective desultorius, the parent of desultory, was used by the
ancients to refer to a circus performer (called a desultor) whose trick was to
leap from horse to horse without stopping. It makes sense, therefore, that
someone or something desultory "jumps" from one thing to another.
(Desultor and desultorius, by the way, are derived from the Latin verb salire,
which means "to leap.") A desultory conversation leaps from one topic to
another and doesn't have a distinct point or direction. A desultory student
skips from one subject to another without applying serious effort to any one. A
desultory comment is a digressive one that jumps away from the topic at
hand. And a desultory performance is one resulting from an implied lack of
steady, focused effort.
Examples of desultory in a Sentence
 a desultory search for something of interest on TV a desultory discussion about
the news of the day
Recent Examples on the WebFor both Mofe and Rosa, the ambition to leave
comes to seem desultory.— Teju Cole, The New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2021The winter holidays
in 2019 were a round of obligatory parties, but subdued, desultory, dispirited by
Washington standards.— Sally Quinn, Washington Post, 17 May 2021