elective 1 of 2

adjective

i-ˈlek-tiv How to pronounce elective (audio)
Definition of electivenext
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

elective

2 of 2

noun

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. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of elective
Adjective
Cosmetic dentistry, once viewed primarily as elective, has come to be connected with emotional well-being and overall quality of life. — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 10 June 2026 With elective classes came the need to establish criteria for an educational degree that could include multiple different subjects. — Emilia Otte, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2026
Noun
Twin Peaks and Meadowbrook are the only two schools that implemented bell schedules that allow students to take more than one elective per year. — Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026 Her top priorities include refining the Pathways program to ensure students can access electives, like orchestra, and providing additional support to educators, specifically special education teachers. — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for elective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elective
  1. optional
  2. refresher
  3. option
  4. voluntary
  5. course
  6. seminar
  7. clinic
  8. class
Adjective
  • All the app requires is a start time, end time, location and optional photo.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026
  • Three hardware configurations are available, offering either an optional end effector, a standard gripper or a 6-degree-of-freedom dexterous hand for more advanced manipulation tasks.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026
Definition of optional
Noun
  • For a quick refresher, Pavlov found that if dogs were repeatedly given food while a bell rang, the dogs eventually began salivating at the mere sound of the bell because their brains associated the sound with food.
    — Sharon Brandwein, USA Today, 27 June 2026
  • Their drinks include coffee, matcha, refreshers, fruit smoothies and energy drinks.
    — Emily Harter, Kansas City Star, 24 June 2026
Definition of refresher
Noun
  • Those were the two most common applications of the rules concerning an unplayable ball, but a third option was available to Spieth.
    — Brody Miller, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • However, deposit rates will eventually gradually decline once borrowing costs finally begin to ease, so savers should still choose their deposit account options wisely.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 13 July 2026
Definition of option
Adjective
  • Jurors will decide whether Payton and Martin are guilty of second-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter in the women’s deaths; or if they will be found innocent of criminal charges out of self-defense.
    — Darrell Smith July 16, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026
  • The Defense Department will test the testosterone levels of service members 30 and older, and offer voluntary testosterone replacement therapy to those with low testosterone levels, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced.
    — Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 16 July 2026
Definition of voluntary
Noun
  • Despite its name, the island’s diminutive national instrument has 10 strings in five courses, and possesses a bright, sunny tone that cuts to the front of an ensemble.
    — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 16 July 2026
  • She was quickly placed on a stability board and airlifted by helicopter to a hospital from the course, and the impact left her suffering from a complex tibia fracture and a torn ACL.
    — Eleanor Jacobs, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026
Definition of course
Noun
  • Coaching seminars held by the Norwegian Football Federation have been known to play a short video showing a 16-year-old boy taking part in a shooting drill.
    — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 10 July 2026
  • For an industry grappling with retention, burnout, and a widening confidence gap among new graduates, that kind of practical, repeatable structure is worth more than another seminar on empathy in the abstract.
    — Kwame Christian Esq, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of seminar
Noun
  • When Fumi takes a job at Rin’s clinic planning to expose its darker side, their standoff drives the series, with the story more interested in what pushes people toward transformation than in the surgeries themselves.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 July 2026
  • The buzzing platforms are showing up in gyms, physical therapy clinics and living rooms, and the questions keep coming.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2026
Definition of clinic
Noun
  • As a result, most of the country’s top players come from the banlieues, the working-class immigrant suburbs surrounding Paris.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
  • The Royals expect to sign Yehl — and hopefully the remainder of their 2026 draft class.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 12 July 2026
Definition of class

Browse Nearby Words

elections
elective
electively
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Cite this Entry

“Elective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elective. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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