desultory:
- jumping or passing from one thing or subject to another without order or rational connection; disconnected; aimless
- by the way; as a digression; not connected with the subject
- coming disconnectedly or occurring haphazardly; random
- disappointing in performance or progress
Example: The shadows on the perfect lawn were straight and angular; they were the shadows of an old man sitting in a deep wicker-chair near the low table on which the tea had been served, and of two younger men strolling to and fro, in desultory talk, in front of him. [Reference: Henry James Jr., "The Portrait of a Lady", The Atlantic Monthly , November 1880]
