as in selecting
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities
cherry-picked the spacious corner office for his corporate fief
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Recent Examples of cherry-picking
More than 85 scientists denounced the report, accusing officials of cherry-picking facts and figures to allow for the administration’s fossil fuel ambitions.
—
Solcyré Burga, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Sisters Mackinley and Taylor Hill are taking inspiration from their own lives and cherry-picking a collection of juicy new jewelry for their debut line, Stone Fruit.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Their style is to highlight 5% out of all the film’s reviews, cherry-picking the ones that that are negative.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Solcyré Burga, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Sisters Mackinley and Taylor Hill are taking inspiration from their own lives and cherry-picking a collection of juicy new jewelry for their debut line, Stone Fruit.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Their style is to highlight 5% out of all the film’s reviews, cherry-picking the ones that that are negative.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cherry-picking
Verb
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For people who live outside of high-risk flood zones, skipping flood insurance and selecting lower-cost add-ons, like sump pump coverage, is routine.—
Tamia Fowlkes,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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Schloss Johannisberg further refined its approach to harvesting, introducing Auslese in 1787, which meant selecting grapes even later in the season, especially those affected by botrytis.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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So much so, eventually Hamblin ended up choosing the second and third pours of whiskey for us, instead of Gandano.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
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Birth parents frequently cite financial hardship as one of their primary reasons for choosing adoption.—
Nicole Chung,
The Atlantic,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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On its own, the 5070 Ti sells for $800, so picking it up inside a capable gaming laptop with a good-looking screen and style for miles for just a little bit more than that is a massive bargain.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
7 Oct. 2025
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Here is who 60 national experts are picking to win the game.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cherry-picking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cherry-picking. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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