Vocabulary in context
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Digress
To depart from the main subject temporarily; to speak or write about something other than the main topic.
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Imagine This
If you are defocused and constantly move away from the main subject during your study, you are getting away from making progress.
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Sounds Like
dih-GRESS
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Looks Like
Di-gress (looks like 'di' + 'gress'; related to 'progress' which also ends with 'gress')
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Remember This
Digress comes from Latin digredi, meaning to depart or go away; the -gress root means 'to go' and is related to words like progress, regress, and egress.
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Other Forms
digressionnoun
digressiveadjective
digressivelyadverb
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Connect With
progress, regress, egress, transgress, gress root words
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Note
Avoid digressions in formal writing; digress only when the off-topic remark enriches the main point or illustrates it, and return promptly to the topic.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- During the lecture, the professor began to digress about her childhood.
- Her essay should avoid digressions that wander from the thesis and blur the main argument.
Synonyms
deviatedivergeramblemeanderwander
Antonyms
focusconcentratestay on topic
Etymology
From Latin digredi, digressus 'to go away'; di- (apart) + gredi (to go). Related to progress (progredi) and gress (to go).
Mnemonic
Di-gress = to go away: remember that 'di' means apart and 'gress' means to go, so digress literally means to go away from the topic.
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Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Abandon
verbTo give up completely, to desert or leave behind, or to relinquish a claim, plan, or responsibility.
Abate
verbTo decrease in amount or intensity; to reduce or end something.
Abolish
verbTo formally end or repeal a system, practice, or institution; to officially put an end to something established.
Abridge
verbTo shorten (a text, speech, or other work) by omitting parts; to condense.
Abscond
verbTo depart secretly or flee, especially to avoid detection or arrest.
Absolve
verbTo free someone from blame or responsibility; to pardon or exonerate.
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