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
Singling out of minority groups for harsh and selective prosecutions, often based on old laws.
—
Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025
One move would be for Comey’s lawyers to try to have the charges thrown out on the grounds of vindictive or selective prosecution, basically arguing that Comey was targeted for impermissible reasons.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
According to Success Academy, 100 percent of their graduates have been accepted to four-year colleges and universities, many to highly selective institutions.
—Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Angel has also pursued selective distribution agreements in Asia, including South Korea — home to a large Christian community — where The King of Kings became a local hit before expanding globally.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selective
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Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025
One move would be for Comey’s lawyers to try to have the charges thrown out on the grounds of vindictive or selective prosecution, basically arguing that Comey was targeted for impermissible reasons.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
According to Success Academy, 100 percent of their graduates have been accepted to four-year colleges and universities, many to highly selective institutions.
—Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Angel has also pursued selective distribution agreements in Asia, including South Korea — home to a large Christian community — where The King of Kings became a local hit before expanding globally.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selective
Cite this Entry
“Selective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selective. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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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