The difference between Discretionary and Optional

When used as adjectives, discretionary means available at one's discretion, whereas optional means not compulsory.


Optional is also noun with the meaning: something that is not compulsory, especially part of an academic course.

check bellow for the other definitions of Discretionary and Optional

  1. Discretionary as an adjective:

    Available at one's discretion; able to be used as one chooses; left to or regulated by one's own discretion or judgment.

    Examples:

    "discretionary income"

    "discretionary powers"

  1. Optional as an adjective:

    Not compulsory; left to personal choice; elective.

    Examples:

    "On that beach clothing is entirely optional."

  1. Optional as a noun:

    Something that is not compulsory, especially part of an academic course.

  2. Optional as a noun (programming):

    In the Swift programming language, a kind of variable that is assigned a specific data type but may or may not hold an actual value.