self-select

verb

self-se·​lect ˌself-sə-ˈlekt 

self-selected; self-selecting; self-selects

1

transitive : to select (something) by or for oneself

People tend to self-select the environments that fit their needs.

—Cynthia M. Allen

2

intransitive : to select oneself as opposed to being selected

especially : to opt in or out of something (such as a group, activity, or category) in accordance with one's personality, interests, etc.

As always, remember that our Twitter polls are unscientific, because respondents self-select …

—Eric C. Evarts

We self-select into partisan echo chambers, staying far away from dissenting voices on social media and cable news.

—Brian Klaas

… a compensation structure that rewards profitable growth and encourages low performers to self-select out of the organization.

—Patrick Burke

3

intransitive : to attract or involve individuals who tend to have a particular characteristic

… analysis of social-media responses self-selects for people who actually want to share their thoughts.

—Adrian Lee

self-selected

ˌself-sə-ˈlek-təd 

adjective

a self-selected name

an unrepresentative, self-selected sampling

self-selection

ˌself-sə-ˈlek-shən 

noun

plural self-selections

student self-selection of reading materials

self-selection of survey respondents

The method helped researchers rule out self-selection bias, or the possibility that people who seek out dental care are different—perhaps healthier in general—than those who don't.

—Sarah Yang

Examples of self-select in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Empower vendors to self-select meaningful interactions by matching their solutions directly with agency needs. —Darshan Tiwari, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025

Honest candidates appreciate the clarity, while fraudsters often self-select out. —Ruben Vardanyan, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025

Allow employees to self-select into evaluation categories (individual contributors, collaborators, innovators or mentors). —Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

Offline connects brands not with one-size-fits-all audiences, but a roster of 1,500 highly specific, self-selecting communities. —Kaleigh Moore, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025

And Interactions: An AI bot marketplace can allow customers to self-select automation solutions, reducing the need for lengthy pre-sales selection processes. —Srikrishnan Ganesan, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025

Framing the program as a formal invitation rather than a requirement allows employees to self-select, leading to higher engagement and more meaningful participation. —Andrea Wenburg, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025

The right people will resonate while the wrong ones self-select out. —Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025

Further, there’s some worry that by spending thousands of years finding and gentling (or executing) male channelers, humanity has begun to self-select channeling out of the gene pool. —ArsTechnica, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for self-select

• architect
• circumspect
• deselect
• dialect
• disconnect
• disinfect
• disrespect
• incorrect
• indirect
• intellect
• interject
• intersect