selective
adjective
se·lec·tive
sə-ˈlek-tiv 
2
: highly specific in activity or effect
selective pesticides
selective absorption
Examples of selective in a Sentence
The club is selective in choosing members.
The college has a highly selective admissions process.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sephora helped drive a 76% profit rise in the selective retailing segment, which includes duty-free shops, and raked in €17.9 billion ($19.4 billion) in sales last year.
—
Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 25 Apr. 2024
This precisely crafted Champagne uses only the tête de cuvée juice, a highly selective process of extraction.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 21 Apr. 2024
Harvard’s Applications Drop: Even as many other very selective schools hit record highs, applications to Harvard College were down this year, suggesting that a year of turmoil may have deterred students.
—Ron Lieber, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
The sheer number of art fairs means that many galleries have to be highly selective about which fairs to attend and which to miss.
—Pearl Lam, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Higher education is next in line: The number of college-age students is forecast to peak in 2025 and then decline sharply for several years, putting pressure on smaller, less selective colleges.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Mar. 2024
Non-Stimulant Medications Non-stimulants are typically antidepressants such as selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
By visiting a grassland patch weeks after being grazed by larger herbivores, the smaller herbivores, which require more protein per unit body weight, can be selective and obtain better nutrition per bite.
—T. Michael Anderson, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
McLaren is reportedly a bit less selective than, say, Ferrari, in who gets to buy its cars, but those with the money and interest tend to be a self-selecting group anyway.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 6 Apr. 2024
Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 25 Apr. 2024
This precisely crafted Champagne uses only the tête de cuvée juice, a highly selective process of extraction.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 21 Apr. 2024
Harvard’s Applications Drop: Even as many other very selective schools hit record highs, applications to Harvard College were down this year, suggesting that a year of turmoil may have deterred students.
—Ron Lieber, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
The sheer number of art fairs means that many galleries have to be highly selective about which fairs to attend and which to miss.
—Pearl Lam, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Higher education is next in line: The number of college-age students is forecast to peak in 2025 and then decline sharply for several years, putting pressure on smaller, less selective colleges.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Mar. 2024
Non-Stimulant Medications Non-stimulants are typically antidepressants such as selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
By visiting a grassland patch weeks after being grazed by larger herbivores, the smaller herbivores, which require more protein per unit body weight, can be selective and obtain better nutrition per bite.
—T. Michael Anderson, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
McLaren is reportedly a bit less selective than, say, Ferrari, in who gets to buy its cars, but those with the money and interest tend to be a self-selecting group anyway.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 6 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'selective.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near selective
Cite this Entry
“Selective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selective. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
selective
adjective
se·lec·tive
sə-ˈlek-tiv
: of or relating to selection : selecting or tending to select
selective shoppers
Medical Definition
selective
adjective
se·lec·tive
sə-ˈlek-tiv
2
: highly specific in activity or effect
selective pesticides
selective permeability of a plasma membrane
selectively
adverb
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