selective

American  

[si-lek-tiv] / sɪˈlɛk tɪv /

adjective

1. having the function or power of selecting; making a selection.

2. characterized by selection, especially fastidious selection.

   Synonyms:

   discerning, particular, discriminating

3. of or relating to selection.

4. Electricity, Radio. having good selectivity.

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selective British  

/ sɪˈlɛktɪv /

adjective

1. of or characterized by selection

2. tending to choose carefully or characterized by careful choice

3. electronics occurring at, operating at, or capable of separating out a particular frequency or band of frequencies

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Other Word Forms

• nonselective adjective
• selectively adverb
• selectiveness noun
• unselective adjective

Etymology

Origin of selective

First recorded in 1615–25; select + -ive

Example Sentences

It means they are more selective about how they spend their time.

From The Wall Street Journal

“AI disruption will not be linear,” they added, arguing that investors will need to be selective and look for potential AI winners across a variety of sectors.

From Barron's

“Investors are increasingly selective about the impact of AI on various business models, and we are unlikely to see the end of this anytime soon.”

From Barron's

Live Nation’s results arrive even as consumers stay selective on spending elsewhere, as they grapple with higher prices.

From MarketWatch

"This enabled selective transport of ions of different effective sizes through the membrane by tuning the ultrasmall pore sizes."

From Science Daily

Related Words

• careful
• choosy
• discriminatory
• fussy
• judicious
• scrupulous