non-discretionary
/ˌnɒn.dɪˈskreʃ.ən.ər.i/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌnɑːn.dɪˈskreʃ.ən.er.i/ (ame, ipa)
non-discretionary — adjective
1. describing a regular cost like rent, food, or utility bills that a household has
describing a regular cost like rent, food, or utility bills that a household has to pay and cannot easily cut from the budget
Rent and groceries are non-discretionary expenses that Zuri has to cover every month.
attributive: non-discretionary + expenses for unavoidable household costs
After losing his job, Reuben tried to cut everything except non-discretionary spending on food and rent.
collocation: non-discretionary spending
Asher pays for his daughter's asthma medicine as a non-discretionary cost each month.
The budget advisor told the Karim family to list all their non-discretionary bills first.
Heating fuel becomes a non-discretionary purchase for households in northern Sweden during winter.
- essential
everyday word for the same idea; less formal than non-discretionary
- fixed
emphasises that the amount and timing don't change month to month
- unavoidable
stresses that the payment cannot be skipped, without the budget framing
- discretionary
spending you choose to make, like entertainment or travel
- optional
general word; not limited to money
文法句型
non-discretionary + noun (spending / expense / cost)
用法筆記
Almost always attributive (before a noun) — you say a non-discretionary expense, not the expense is non-discretionary. Subject is typically a household budget item like rent, food, utilities, or medicine.
常見錯誤
2. describing an investment account or fund whose manager must ask the client befor
describing an investment account or fund whose manager must ask the client before buying or selling anything, instead of acting alone
Ayesha opened a non-discretionary account so her broker had to phone her before every trade.
collocation: non-discretionary account
Nadia's bank in Singapore offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolios to private clients.
collocation: non-discretionary portfolio
Under Yumi's non-discretionary mandate, her wealth manager must request approval for each stock purchase.
Mr. Rafael chose a non-discretionary fund because he wanted to approve every investment decision himself.
The teachers' pension fund switched to a non-discretionary arrangement after members demanded more oversight.
- advisory
industry term where the broker only advises and the client decides
- client-directed
plainer description of the same arrangement
- discretionary
manager has authority to trade without checking first
文法句型
non-discretionary + account / fund / mandate
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is exclusively about investment management arrangements, never household budgets. The decision-maker constrained here is the fund manager or broker, not the consumer.