selective
Americanadjective
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having the function or power of selecting; making a selection.
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characterized by selection, especially fastidious selection.
- Synonyms:
- discerning, particular, discriminating
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of or relating to selection.
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Electricity, Radio. having good selectivity.
adjective
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of or characterized by selection
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tending to choose carefully or characterized by careful choice
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electronics occurring at, operating at, or capable of separating out a particular frequency or band of frequencies
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of selective
Explanation
If your mother only remembers the good things and not the bad, she has a selective memory. If a school chooses to offer only a few students spots, it is selective. Selective means characterized by choice. When you are looking for someone to date, you will get advice as to how selective to be. Some people will suggest that you cast a wide net, choosing to date a lot of people in hopes that one will be right. Others will recommend that you be more selective, choosing to date only people that fit a set of criteria. If you are a male, you will have to register with Selective Service, a database the military selects from if there is ever a draft, when you turn 18.
Vocabulary lists containing selective
Donald Trump Foreign Policy Address
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Setting and Structure
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"The MGMT Solution," Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"This calls for a cautious approach to new fiscal pressures: the authorities should be very selective in accommodating new demands and reprioritise, while sticking to the deficit reduction plan," the report says.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
“The way we’re approaching this is to first be extremely selective as to what kinds of businesses we’re investing in. And to recognize the probability of success is low,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
And they’re still not nearly as selective as a company that most people have never heard of.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Vullo, in which the court held that the government cannot use informal tactics, like thinly-veiled threats of selective enforcement or demands for cooperation, to coerce private actors.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
I was reading story after story about how difficult a year this was for college admissions, how selective the top schools had become, how even the brightest lads were meeting rejection.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
