What does discretional mean?
Discretional is a formal adjective describing something that is governed by personal judgment or choice rather than fixed, mandatory rules. When a power, fund, or decision is described as discretional, it means the person holding it may decide how — or whether — to act. The word appears most often in legal, administrative, and financial contexts, as in "discretional powers" granted to a judge or trustee, or "discretional spending" that a department may allocate freely. It carries a neutral, slightly bureaucratic tone and is closely related to the far more common synonym "discretionary," which has largely displaced it in ordinary usage; encountering "discretional" today often signals legal drafting or older formal prose. Its opposite would be anything compulsory or obligatory. The word traces back through Latin roots connected to separating and distinguishing — the same lineage that gives us "discern," "discreet," and "discrete."
adjectiveLeft to or regulated by one's own judgment or choice rather than by fixed rules; determined at someone's discretion.
- Relating to or dependent on the exercise of individual judgment or choice, especially in official, legal, or financial matters where rules leave room for personal decision.
"The manager has discretional authority to approve small expense claims without consulting head office."
"The judge's discretional powers allow lighter sentences in exceptional circumstances."
"Employees receive a base salary plus a discretional bonus at the end of each year."
"Discretional" and "discretionary" mean exactly the same thing — but one dominates modern English while the other survives mostly in legal boilerplate.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of discretional
Discretional derives from "discretion," which comes from Latin "discernere" ("to separate, distinguish"), formed from "dis-" (apart) plus "cernere" (to sift or decide). The underlying idea is that judgment involves sifting options apart before deciding. It entered English as a derivative of "discretion" alongside the parallel form "discretionary," both attested from around the early modern period, and shares its root with "discern," "discreet," and "discrete."
Related word forms
How discretional is actually used
Formal register, found mainly in legal, administrative, and business writing. In everyday English, "discretionary" is strongly preferred; "discretional" can sound archaic or bureaucratic.
Easily confused with discretional
"Discretionary" is the far more common adjective with the same meaning, while "discretional" is a rarer variant used chiefly in legal and formal contexts.
"Discreet" means tactful or careful not to attract attention, whereas "discretional" concerns decisions left to personal judgment.
"Discrete" means separate and distinct, sharing only its Latin root with "discretional," which relates to judgment.