as in particular
tending to select carefully
we were highly selective about the music we listened to while trying out loudspeakers
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Recent Examples of selective
Speaking earlier this month at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, Netflix chief financial officer Adam Neumann was characteristically on-message, reiterating that the company’s philosophy on live sports is to remain hyper-selective about its commitments.
—
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Mar. 2026
For decades, Chevrolet’s halo car has been the Corvette, which showcases innovations like dual-clutch transmission and magnetic selective-ride control, a feature that reads the road and adjusts shock absorbers.
—Jon McNeill, Big Think, 25 Mar. 2026
The membrane could also enable selective separation of ions with the same electric charge by exploiting subtle differences in how ions behave under an electric field.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Mar. 2026
People who want to boycott [Israel] need to be much more selective.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for selective
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Mar. 2026
For decades, Chevrolet’s halo car has been the Corvette, which showcases innovations like dual-clutch transmission and magnetic selective-ride control, a feature that reads the road and adjusts shock absorbers.
—Jon McNeill, Big Think, 25 Mar. 2026
The membrane could also enable selective separation of ions with the same electric charge by exploiting subtle differences in how ions behave under an electric field.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Mar. 2026
People who want to boycott [Israel] need to be much more selective.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for selective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for selective
Adjective
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But unlike at some jungle retreats, which demand a certain ability to rough it, even the most spider-averse will feel at home here—kids in particular.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Mar. 2026
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District Attorney Vern Pierson thinks meeting with Denise – in particular – may have been Muller's objective for confessing all along.—
Lauren Clark,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Investors have grown choosier, and shows are struggling to hit even their minimum capitalizations.—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Mar. 2026
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Coming off a 6-11 season and with limited salary-cap space, the Kansas City Chiefs will have to be choosy when determining which of their free agents to bring back for 2026 and beyond.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Fish are picky about their food.—
Mike Kurlansky,
Outside,
29 Mar. 2026
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And in that case, perhaps being a picky eater was a good thing.—
Jenna Thompson
March 27,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Google's $499 Pixel 10a feels a whole lot nicer to use.—
Eric Zeman,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
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Phase One currently is centered on a music theater that (from the point of view of the city) is very much in the nice-to-have-but-fully-served-elsewhere category and on a hotel, which is more promising but still less beneficial when compared with housing.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Selective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/selective. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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