ELECTIVE Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

elective 1 of 2

adjective

i-ˈlek-tiv

Definition of elective

as in optional

subject to one's freedom of choice a plastic surgeon who mainly does face-lifting and other kinds of elective surgery

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

elective

2 of 2

noun

as in refresher

Related Words

as in option

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of elective

Adjective

Cosmetic dentistry, once viewed primarily as elective, has come to be connected with emotional well-being and overall quality of life. — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 10 June 2026 With elective classes came the need to establish criteria for an educational degree that could include multiple different subjects. — Emilia Otte, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2026

Noun

Twin Peaks and Meadowbrook are the only two schools that implemented bell schedules that allow students to take more than one elective per year. — Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026 Her top priorities include refining the Pathways program to ensure students can access electives, like orchestra, and providing additional support to educators, specifically special education teachers. — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for elective

Recent Examples of Synonyms for elective

Adjective

All the app requires is a start time, end time, location and optional photo.

— Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026
Three hardware configurations are available, offering either an optional end effector, a standard gripper or a 6-degree-of-freedom dexterous hand for more advanced manipulation tasks.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026

Definition of optional

Noun

For a quick refresher, Pavlov found that if dogs were repeatedly given food while a bell rang, the dogs eventually began salivating at the mere sound of the bell because their brains associated the sound with food.

— Sharon Brandwein, USA Today, 27 June 2026
Their drinks include coffee, matcha, refreshers, fruit smoothies and energy drinks.

— Emily Harter, Kansas City Star, 24 June 2026

Definition of refresher

Noun

Those were the two most common applications of the rules concerning an unplayable ball, but a third option was available to Spieth.

— Brody Miller, New York Times, 14 July 2026
However, deposit rates will eventually gradually decline once borrowing costs finally begin to ease, so savers should still choose their deposit account options wisely.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 13 July 2026

Definition of option

Adjective

With that mechanism scaled back, the credibility of voluntary disclosure now rests on the quality of what sits underneath it.

— Joel Carboni, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Microsoft in April offered voluntary retirement to 7% of its US staff and said on Monday that more than 30% of eligible employees chose to participate.

— Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 6 July 2026

Definition of voluntary

Noun

Coaching seminars held by the Norwegian Football Federation have been known to play a short video showing a 16-year-old boy taking part in a shooting drill.

— Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 10 July 2026
For an industry grappling with retention, burnout, and a widening confidence gap among new graduates, that kind of practical, repeatable structure is worth more than another seminar on empathy in the abstract.

— Kwame Christian Esq, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of seminar

Noun

When Fumi takes a job at Rin’s clinic planning to expose its darker side, their standoff drives the series, with the story more interested in what pushes people toward transformation than in the surgeries themselves.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 July 2026
The buzzing platforms are showing up in gyms, physical therapy clinics and living rooms, and the questions keep coming.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2026

Definition of clinic

Noun

As a result, most of the country’s top players come from the banlieues, the working-class immigrant suburbs surrounding Paris.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
The Royals expect to sign Yehl — and hopefully the remainder of their 2026 draft class.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 12 July 2026

Definition of class

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elections

elective

electively

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Style

“Elective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elective. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of elective

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

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