elective

[ih-lek-tiv]

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.

Origin of elective

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

Related formse·lec·tive·ly, adverbe·lec·tive·ness, nounnon·e·lec·tive, adjective, nounnon·e·lec·tive·ly, adverbnon·e·lec·tive·ness, nounpre·e·lec·tive, adjectiveun·e·lec·tive, adjective

Synonyms for elective

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR elective ON THESAURUS.COM

5. voluntary, discretionary.

Antonyms for elective

5. required, obligatory, necessary.

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

Related Words for elective

electoral, constituent, voting, voluntary, discretionary, optional, selective, facultative

Examples from the Web for elective

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
But this is really my first real role in a film where I got to play gay that was not elective.
Matt Bomer Tells the Personal Story Behind His Heartbreaking ‘Normal Heart’ Performance
Kevin Fallon
May 21, 2014

Historical Examples of elective

On the same ground might the authority of all elective political and other posts be questioned.
Freeland
Theodor Hertzka
Probably no two colleges administer the elective system in the same way.
College Teaching
Paul Klapper
An elective course in the history of American education is highly desirable.
College Teaching
Paul Klapper
Office Holding: Women are not eligible to any elective office.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV
Various
Office Holding: Women are not eligible for any elective office.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV
Various

British Dictionary definitions for elective

elective

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

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.