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
At the heart of these sensors is the ion-to-electron transducer, positioned between the ion-selective membrane and the electronic conductor.
—
Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2025
The clip showed Reagan talking about the downsides of tariffs, including job losses and trade wars, but the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation said the clips were selective in nature and not representative of Reagan's full speech.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
While Alana was selective about her wedding look, choosing a Vivienne Westwood gown, jewelry by Dorsey and a custom gold band by Sofia Kaman.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
The complete list of nominees appears below, followed by a selective list of their most significant songs.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selective
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Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2025
The clip showed Reagan talking about the downsides of tariffs, including job losses and trade wars, but the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation said the clips were selective in nature and not representative of Reagan's full speech.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
While Alana was selective about her wedding look, choosing a Vivienne Westwood gown, jewelry by Dorsey and a custom gold band by Sofia Kaman.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
The complete list of nominees appears below, followed by a selective list of their most significant songs.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 23 Oct. 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 27 Oct. 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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