selective
adjective
se·lec·tive
sə-ˈlek-tiv 
2
: highly specific in activity or effect
selective pesticides
selective absorption
Synonyms of selective
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
That discourse now seems to have always been highly selective, defining human rights as civic and political rather than economic and social.
—
Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Defendants must clear a high bar in order to win the dismissal of an indictment on the grounds that the prosecution is vindictive and selective.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 19 Nov. 2025
Implementing selective proliferation will not be easy or without risk.
—Moritz S. Graefrath, Foreign Affairs, 19 Nov. 2025
The new method also allows for the selective depolymerization of PET even when mixed with cotton and other types of plastics, demonstrating its versatility in handling complex waste streams.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 16 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selective
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Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Defendants must clear a high bar in order to win the dismissal of an indictment on the grounds that the prosecution is vindictive and selective.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 19 Nov. 2025
Implementing selective proliferation will not be easy or without risk.
—Moritz S. Graefrath, Foreign Affairs, 19 Nov. 2025
The new method also allows for the selective depolymerization of PET even when mixed with cotton and other types of plastics, demonstrating its versatility in handling complex waste streams.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 16 Nov. 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 25 Nov. 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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