facultative

adjective

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fac·ul·ta·tive | \ ˈfa-kəl-ˌtā-tiv

, British -tə-tiv \

Definition of facultative

1a : of or relating to the grant of permission, authority, or privilege facultative legislation

b : optional

2 : of or relating to a mental faculty

3a : taking place under some conditions but not under others facultative diapause

b : exhibiting an indicated lifestyle under some environmental conditions but not under others facultative anaerobes

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Examples of facultative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Because cleaner fish have other food sources besides the parasites, such as crustaceans, this relationship is also facultative mutualism. — Liz Langley, National Geographic, "We couldn't have figs without wasps. Here's how mutualism works.," 25 Sep. 2020 Ball pythons are native to central and western Africa and can reproduce asexually, which is known as facultative parthenogenesis, the zoo said. — David Williams, CNN, "A ball python laid 7 eggs at the Saint Louis Zoo, even though she hasn't been around a male in years," 11 Sep. 2020 The dragon’s birth, which came during a study of fertility, was said to result from a special type of parthenogenesis, called facultative parthenogenesis. — Martin Weil, Washington Post, "Unique water dragon dies at zoo; was born without male contribution," 6 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'facultative.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.