SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
discourse
noun
An extended discussion, conversation, or treatment of a subject.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Extended discussion
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topExposition can be one-way explanation; discourse can include interactive discussion or written treatment.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See discourse in use
The seminar encouraged thoughtful discourse about the novel.
In an academic seminar, students compared how two fictional neighborhoods organized their shared spaces using details from an assigned novel. The exercise was intellectual because it required sustained thought about relationships among evidence, interpretation, and social arrangements. Their discourse continued beyond short answers, developing an extended discussion of several competing readings.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license