Synonyms of cull

cull 1 of 2

noun

as in discard

something separated from a group or lot for not being as good as the others

the unbruised apples will be packed in bags, and the culls will be used for cider

Synonyms & Similar Words

• discard
• second
• reject
• rejection
• rubbish
• trash
• waste
• scrap
• castaway
• throwaway
• white elephant
• hand-me-down

cull

2 of 2

verb

ˈkəl 

as in to select

to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities

culled the best short stories from the author's body of writings

Synonyms & Similar Words

• select
• choose
• pick
• take
• elect
• prefer
• name
• tag
• designate
• handpick
• cherry-pick
• single (out)
• opt (for)
• nominate
• adopt
• appoint
• accept
• tap
• set
• preselect
• mark
• embrace
• tab
• espouse
• settle (on or upon)
• fix

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• refuse
• reject
• decline
• turn down
• negative
• disapprove
• discard
• repudiate
• throw away
• spurn
• throw out
• jettison

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cull

Noun

The overhaul immediately followed an earlier 25% product cull completed in the last fiscal year. — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Tech companies, especially large ones, have continued to cull jobs during the AI boom. — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026

Verb

The agency has dealt with homeowners illegally culling trees to improve their views in the past, but those are dwarfed by the scale of these poisonings, Cowen said. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026

This strategy was most convincingly implemented in 1997 on Monhegan Island, off the coast of Maine, where residents fed up with Lyme disease hired a sharpshooter to cull all of the deer. — Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026