Discretionary and Optional

Discretionary

Discretionary adjective - Subject to one's freedom of choice.
Usage example: discretionary spending on luxuries dropped dramatically last year

Optional is a synonym for discretionary in choice topic. In some cases you can use "Optional" instead an adjective "Discretionary", when it comes to topics like arbitrary, open to choice. popular alternative

Nearby Words: discretion, discrete, discretional

Optional

Optional adjective - Subject to one's freedom of choice.
Usage example: at the resort all recreational activities are optional, and you may choose to participate in none of them

Discretionary is a synonym for optional in voluntary topic. You can use "Discretionary" instead an adjective "Optional", if it concerns topics such as choice, possible, arbitrary. popular alternative

Nearby Words: option, optionally
Cite this Source
Optional and Discretionary. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/discretionary/optional
Discretionary & Optional. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/discretionary/optional>.
Optional or Discretionary. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/discretionary/optional.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "discretionary" and "optional" have occurred on timeline