elective

[ ih-lek-tiv ]

/ ɪˈlɛk tɪv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR elective ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

pertaining to the principle of electing to an office, position, etc.

chosen by election, as an official.

bestowed by or derived from election, as an office.

having the power or right of electing to office, as a body of persons.

open to choice; optional; not required: an elective subject in college; elective surgery.

Chemistry. selecting for combination or action; tending to combine with certain substances in preference to others: elective attraction.

noun

an optional study; a course that a student may select from among alternatives.

Nearby words

Origin of elective

1520–30; < Medieval Latin ēlēctīvus, equivalent to Latin ēlēct(us) (see elect) + -īvus -ive

SYNONYMS FOR elective

5 voluntary, discretionary.

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ANTONYMS FOR elective

5 required, obligatory, necessary.

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Related forms

e·lec·tive·ly, adverbe·lec·tive·ness, nounnon·e·lec·tive, adjective, nounnon·e·lec·tive·ly, adverb

non·e·lec·tive·ness, nounpre·e·lec·tive, adjectiveun·e·lec·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for elective

Not hard to imagine what drives this number – money, the ever swelling lubricant of elective office.
Beer Countries vs. Wine Countries|Clive Irving|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Really, sortition strikes at the tension at the heart of elective representative democracy.
Is It Time to Take a Chance on Random Representatives?|Michael Schulson|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the O.R. has actually seen a huge decrease in elective surgeries.
Dallas: A Journal of the Plague City|Pete Freedman|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is not elective, it is not fun, and it certainly is not funny.
From Britney to Bynes, Why Do We Love Watching Mentally Ill Celebs?|Molly Oswaks|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Often, having the elective time and being able to find an experience where you can get training is not the same.
The Medical Community’s Hidden Abortion-Training War|Abigail Golden|February 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On taking his first elective office, the new President addressed a large crowd in the drizzling rain.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches|Various
Oftentimes he holds no elective office, but may be an appointee of the government or State.
The Cleverdale Mystery or, The Machine and its Wheels|W. A. Wilkins
In neither colony were the public offices restricted to Quakers, and every Christian possessed the elective franchise.
The Colonies 1492-1750|Reuben Gold Thwaites
To shift the elective power was only to give the monarchy other enemies, not to save it.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 56, Number 347, September, 1844|Various
That the elective franchise shall not hereafter be denied to any person in this State on account of sex.
History of Woman Suffrage, Volume III (of III)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for elective

elective

/ (ɪˈlɛktɪv) /

adjective

of or based on selection by voteelective procedure

selected by votean elective official

having the power to elect

open to choice; optionalan elective course of study

noun

an optional course or hospital placement undertaken by a medical student

Derived Formselectively, adverbelectivity (ˌiːlɛkˈtɪvɪtɪ) or electiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for elective

elective

adj.

early 15c., from Late Latin electivus, from electus, past participle of eligere (see election). In reference to school subjects studied at the student's choice, first recorded 1847. As a noun, from 1701.

elective

adjective

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of elective

Examples from the Web for elective

British Dictionary definitions for elective

elective

adjective

noun

Word Origin and History for elective

elective