selective breeding
noun
: the process of modifying the characteristics of living things especially to enhance one or more desirable traits by selection in breeding controlled by humans
After about three years of selective breeding, their company, Cavendish Game Birds, was able to deliver quail that consistently dressed out to seven or eight ounces.—
Warren Schultz
Warren SchultzSelective breeding continues in an attempt to enhance the human use of this economic plant against a background of disappointingly low rubber content …—John M. Miller and Ralph A. Backhaus
John M. Miller and Ralph A. BackhausFixed through selective breeding, traits could vanish over several generations if people became careless in choosing their dogs' mates.—Mark Derr
Mark Derrcalled also artificial selection
Examples of selective breeding in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Given the negligible genetic difference between the quagga and the plains zebra, selective breeding with the goal of reduced striping was the project’s best shot at reviving the phenotype.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
In contrast, domestic species grew progressively larger, due to selective breeding favoring animals that could provide more meat, milk, wool, strength or companionship.
—New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025
The findings also show how quickly selective breeding can shape an entire species, with a few genetic changes altering the course of history.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2025
Galton, who coined the term eugenics, pioneered correlation and regression and used these tools to argue that traits like intelligence and morality were heritable and should be managed through selective breeding.
—Craig Spencer, The Atlantic, 29 Aug. 2025
Changes in flower color through selective breeding can also affect leaf color, as genes involved in pigment production can affect multiple plant tissues.
—Claire Therese Hemingway, The Conversation, 18 Aug. 2025
Eugenics is a highly controversial (and discredited) set of beliefs that the human population can improve or advance itself through selective breeding.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2025
Named after the Pima tribe originating from the western region of the Americas, this strain of cotton was cultivated from a series of selective breeding, learned from the Pima people, and adopted by enslaved Africans in the South.
—Cierra Black, Essence, 9 July 2025
Put together, the findings suggest that the emergence of the longer-type genes may be a result of genetic changes associated with domestication and selective breeding.
—Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
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Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
In contrast, domestic species grew progressively larger, due to selective breeding favoring animals that could provide more meat, milk, wool, strength or companionship.
—New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025
The findings also show how quickly selective breeding can shape an entire species, with a few genetic changes altering the course of history.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2025
Galton, who coined the term eugenics, pioneered correlation and regression and used these tools to argue that traits like intelligence and morality were heritable and should be managed through selective breeding.
—Craig Spencer, The Atlantic, 29 Aug. 2025
Changes in flower color through selective breeding can also affect leaf color, as genes involved in pigment production can affect multiple plant tissues.
—Claire Therese Hemingway, The Conversation, 18 Aug. 2025
Eugenics is a highly controversial (and discredited) set of beliefs that the human population can improve or advance itself through selective breeding.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2025
Named after the Pima tribe originating from the western region of the Americas, this strain of cotton was cultivated from a series of selective breeding, learned from the Pima people, and adopted by enslaved Africans in the South.
—Cierra Black, Essence, 9 July 2025
Put together, the findings suggest that the emergence of the longer-type genes may be a result of genetic changes associated with domestication and selective breeding.
—Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Selective breeding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selective%20breeding. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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