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.
Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, captured the frustration with conservative media’s selective outrage.
From Salon • May 18, 2026
Consumer-behavior analyst Chip West says Americans have responded to higher gas prices by being more selective in what they buy.
From MarketWatch • May 16, 2026
Centuries of human intervention - selective breeding and propagation - have made the genetic background of many commercial orchids a "disaster", according to leading Dutch orchid breeding firm Floricultura.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
Of those 1,200 schools, there are less than 60 that are actually very selective, and yet almost all 1,200 fake that what’s great about them is how many people they can reject and exclude.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
So I got organized, I got selective and I kind of honed in on Astelle.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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.
