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

James said if dingoes are ultimately found to be responsible, Piper would not have supported a cull. —Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026

Some of California’s most popular campuses, including the UCs and USC, do not use AI to cull applicants, and use only human readers and admissions staff. —Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026

Verb

As the scouts tell it, MLB and teams used the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to cull the herd of older scouts. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Mar. 2026

Acosta’s objects are a regular feature at exhibits and art fairs, and his distinct paintings pop up in the social media feeds of scrollers like me, whose algorithms cull this particular genre of art. —Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026