selective

[ si-lek-tiv ]
See synonyms for: selectiveselectiveness on Thesaurus.com

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

  2. characterized by selection, especially fastidious selection.

  1. of or relating to selection.

  2. Electricity, Radio. having good selectivity.

Origin of selective

1
First recorded in 1615–25; select + -ive

Other words for selective

Other words from selective

  • se·lec·tive·ly, adverb
  • se·lec·tive·ness, noun
  • non·se·lec·tive, adjective
  • un·se·lec·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use selective in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for selective

selective

/ (sɪˈlɛktɪv) /


adjective
  1. of or characterized by selection

  2. tending to choose carefully or characterized by careful choice

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

Derived forms of selective

  • selectively, adverb
  • selectiveness, 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