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
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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"
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Optional as an adjective:
Not compulsory; left to personal choice; elective.
Examples:
"On that beach clothing is entirely optional."
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Optional as a noun:
Something that is not compulsory, especially part of an academic course.
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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.