selective
Americanadjective
-
having the function or power of selecting; making a selection.
-
characterized by selection, especially fastidious selection.
- Synonyms:
- discerning, particular, discriminating
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of or relating to selection.
-
Electricity, Radio. having good selectivity.
adjective
-
of or characterized by selection
-
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.
BII continues to favor selective exposure to AI-related companies and listed infrastructure, where growing demand and scarcity in critical infrastructure can support attractive returns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
This year, the fright turned out to be surprisingly selective.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
He called Caltech — which enrolls fewer than 2,400 students and admitted under 4% of applicants this year, about as selective as Harvard — “really small but truly mighty.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
They accused RTS of selective reporting and failing to scrutinise officials.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
The science of range management has largely ignored this possibility, although these insects are perhaps the most selective of all grazers and their highly restricted diets could easily be turned to man’s advantage.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
