Meaning of discretionary In English

• 0 decided by officials and not fixed by rules:

  • a discretionary grant

  • Judges have great discretionary powers.

• 1 available to someone by choice, without having to get permission or authority:

  • Once your kids have discretionary money of their own, they can pay for their own DVDs.

• 2 used to describe an amount of money in a budget that can be reduced if necessary:

  • discretionary expenditure/spending

  • He renewed his call on the Legislature to freeze discretionary funds already approved but not spent.

• 3 allowed or decided according to what is considered suitable in a particular situation:

  • discretionary benefits/bonuses/payments

  • The draft law gives companies discretionary power to block merger and acquisition deals with foreign investors.

• 4 relating to an arrangement in which an investment manager or broker has the authority to make investment decisions without instructions from their client:

  • Wealth management companies offer discretionary and advisory services to those with more than £100,000 to invest.