as in optional
subject to one's freedom of choice
a plastic surgeon who mainly does face-lifting and other kinds of elective surgery
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in refresher
Related Words
2
as in option
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of elective
Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2025
That’s when students are choosing math tracks, picking electives, and developing habits.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 4 July 2025
Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
Latinos in Action, a nationwide educational program, was offered as an elective class or extracurricular club at 46 Broward middle and high schools and education centers.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elective
Adjective
Meanwhile, Camp Joli starts from €1,999 (about $2,350) for accommodations, meals (prepared by a private chef), and electives.
—Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2025
That’s when students are choosing math tracks, picking electives, and developing habits.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 4 July 2025
Noun
Yet Harris discovered that being a good soldier doesn’t necessarily help when the vice president is contending for the highest elective office in the land.
—Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
Latinos in Action, a nationwide educational program, was offered as an elective class or extracurricular club at 46 Broward middle and high schools and education centers.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elective
Adjective
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The cost per night, including taxes and additional fees (cleaning fees are often extra—and not optional), can quickly add up.—
Karla Walsh,
Southern Living,
15 Oct. 2025
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Some of these technologies are essential for ensuring the proper functioning of the service or website and cannot be disabled, while others are optional but serve to enhance the user experience in various ways.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
For those readers who weren’t alive at the time of the Tiananmen Square massacre (or need a refresher), in the spring of 1989, university students began camping out and protesting in Tiananmen Square, the central square in Beijing, China’s capital.—
Peter Leyden,
Big Think,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Need a refresher on who's who at Sacred Heart?—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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New York felt comfortable enough to pick up Thibodeaux’s fifth-year option, but keeping him around in the long term with Abdul Carter and Brian Burns probably isn’t the shrewdest.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Avoid overly salty or processed options.—
Brittany Poulson,
Verywell Health,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Pacific Coast Producers, based in California, issued a voluntary recall for select lots of four fruit products on September 4 due to the potential contamination.—
Matthew Robinson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Admission is free, but voluntary donations are appreciated.—
Molly Guthrey,
Twin Cities,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Driver has previously spoken about his character's arc having morphed into something else over the course of making the trilogy Driver was involved in.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Amazon things, of course—from Alexa to Ring camera services.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Zhao also wants to improve the office’s community engagement and hold workshops and seminars to ensure people understand property tax laws.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
-
In 2024, Havens and Christopher Celenza, Dean of Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, hosted a virtual seminar on the history of misinformation.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Los Angeles Dodgers, after silencing the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-1, Tuesday night in front of a subdued crowd at American Family Field, are putting on one of the most dominant pitching clinics in the league.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
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As a young endocrinologist in the 1980s, David Klonoff was typically greeted with a full waiting room at the diabetes clinic at the University of California, San Francisco.—
Carrie Arnold,
Scientific American,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Founded by Rachel Katzman in 2017, Pvolve is a low-impact toning workout — available online and in-person for classes — prioritizing strength, stability and mobility.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
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Students in those schools have been unable to get their meals at lunch, to make it to classes on different floors or even to attend their neighborhood school.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Elective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elective. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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