What does desultoriness mean?
Desultoriness is the noun form of the adjective 'desultory', denoting the quality of moving without a fixed course or purpose — acting, thinking, or working in an unmethodical, fitful way that shifts from one thing to another without sustained direction. A person whose efforts are marked by desultoriness begins tasks without completing them, wanders between subjects, or proceeds by random impulse rather than plan. The word derives ultimately from the Latin desultorius ('leaping'), from desultor, a circus performer who jumped from one galloping horse to another — a vivid image for the scattered attention the term describes. Formal and relatively uncommon in everyday speech, it appears mostly in written English, in criticism of work, study, or argument judged haphazard and undisciplined. It pairs naturally with abstract nouns such as effort, conversation, or method.
nounThe quality or state of being desultory; a manner of acting, thinking, or speaking that lacks a fixed plan, purpose, or consistency, moving aimlessly from one thing to another.
- The quality of being unplanned, irregular, and lacking in focus or persistence.
"The report criticized the committee's desultoriness, noting that months had passed without any concrete decisions."
"His reading suffered from a certain desultoriness, skipping from novel to treatise without finishing either."
"She abandoned the project altogether, weary of its desultoriness."
Virtually never pluralized; the word is almost always used as an uncountable mass noun.
It comes from the Latin desultor — a circus rider who leaps from horse to horse mid-gallop, which is exactly what a desultory mind does from topic to topic.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of desultoriness
Desultoriness is formed from the adjective 'desultory' with the noun-forming suffix '-ness'. 'Desultory' entered English in the early seventeenth century from Latin desultorius ('hasty, superficial, like a vaulter'), itself derived from desultor, the ancient Roman circus rider who leapt between horses at full speed, from the verb desilire ('to leap down'). The root is the Latin verb salire ('to leap'), making the word cognate with 'salient', 'assail', and 'somersault'.
Related word forms
How desultoriness is actually used
Formal and somewhat literary register; rare compared to its adjective 'desultory'. Often carries a mild connotation of criticism, implying wasted effort or lack of discipline.
Easily confused with desultoriness
Dilatoriness means slowness or procrastination (delaying action), whereas desultoriness means lack of plan or consistency (moving aimlessly between things).