1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

elective 1 of 2

adjective

i-ˈlek-tiv How to pronounce elective (audio)
Definition of electivenext
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

elective

2 of 2

noun

1
as in refresher

Related Words
2
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
One 2024 survey of large-company employee benefit plans found that about 21% covered elective egg freezing. — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026 Interested students could pursue an optional curriculum track or elective concentration in osteopathic principles, available at any accredited school rather than confined to a parallel one. — Abigail MacKenzie, STAT, 5 Aug. 2026
Noun
In that reunion outside the hospital, Robby shows interest in whether or not Mohan had any luck picking an elective. — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026 The district already offered personal finance as an elective before the statewide requirement went into effect. — P.r. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 8 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for elective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elective
  1. optional
  2. refresher
  3. option
  4. voluntary
  5. course
  6. seminar
  7. clinic
  8. class
Adjective
  • The optional app usually picks appealing but innocuous images of travel scenes and animals as daily wallpapers on Windows PC desktops.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Case codes to justify a search, previously optional, will be mandatory, and the audit log will be upgraded so that Flock can detect abnormal search patterns and block those users.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of optional
Noun
  • Try a fabric refresher or dry wash spray on lightly worn items.
    — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Use a between-wear refresher or dry wash spray on lightly worn garments that are not actually dirty.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of refresher
Noun
  • Left floating adrift are the mothers, fathers and children who are deprived of the same access and options as kids in other states.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Luckily, Amazon’s fashion section is bursting with playful options.
    — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of option
Adjective
  • Healey will seek $2 million to expand free, voluntary nurse home visits to all families of roughly 68,000 newborns a year, offering help with infant care and postpartum screening.
    — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Officers later presented them with voluntary-departure agreements, again with little explanation and without a translator, Kim said.
    — Hanna Park, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of voluntary
Noun
  • The Senate on its 10th try also approved a war powers resolution to end the conflict, but GOP senators quickly reversed course the next day after Trump berated them during a closed-door lunch.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Over courses of ravioli, New York strip steak, and whole roasted artichokes, the duo laughed and chatted with family, patrons, Knicks fans, and Towns’s teammate Jordan Clarkson.
    — Clara Hillis, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of course
Noun
  • This year, the August days were filled with live podcasts and seminars, ranging from football analytics to responsible gaming.
    — Chad Millman, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Apprisen Learn More Highlights Founded in 1955, Apprisen offers budgeting workshops, debt management plans, credit counseling, housing seminars and bankruptcy education in person and online.
    — Dan Avery, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of seminar
Noun
  • Track residual error rates by type, especially omissions, and watch the percentage of notes that leave the clinic without meaningful clinician review.
    — Pat Williams, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Fresh off winning Super Bowl LX MVP honors, running back Kenneth Walker put on an absolute clinic.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of clinic
Noun
  • Inside the closed cockpits of WEC’s two classes of sports car, the difference may be academic.
    — Patrick Iversen, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Arkansas Department of Education spokeswoman Kaelin Clay said last month that the Wittes owed the department $5,650 in Educational Freedom Account money for two summer classes Nova Roots did not provide.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of class

Browse Nearby Words

elections
elective
electively
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Elective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elective. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of volition

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All