selectively
Americanadverb
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.
Tolls have become an essential tool that Iran selectively imposes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
Professor Sang Ouk Kim explained, "This study is an example of scientifically uncovering why graphene can selectively kill bacteria while remaining safe for the human body."
From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026
Beijing is trying to turn a struggling shopping paradise into proof that China can still open selectively, attract foreign business and build new growth engines even as domestic consumption remains fragile.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026
Restrictions are slowly and selectively easing – although the message from security officials is they will stay in force as long as "enemy threats" remain.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
But the Navajo proved especially resilient and able to deal selectively with innovation.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
