Desultoriness

/dɪˈzʌltərɪnəs/ noun

Definition

The quality of being scattered, unfocused, or jumping from one thing to another without consistency or clear purpose.

Etymology

From 'desultory' plus '-ness' to create an abstract noun expressing a quality or state. This word evolved from the Latin 'desultor' (circus jumper) to describe the character trait of disconnectedness.

Kelly Says

The desultoriness of human attention is exactly why social media is so addictive—it's designed to trigger that same jumping-from-topic-to-topic impulse that ancient Romans associated with circus acrobats!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.