electively

adverb

as in either

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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 electively The ones electively delivered preterm to avoid maternal cancer treatment. — Elyce Cardonick, STAT, 2 Nov. 2026 The majority of women who freeze their eggs electively are White and well-resourced. — Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 31 May 2026 Where Your Insurance Likely Stands For most women freezing eggs electively, insurance won’t cover the procedure. — Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026 Pfizer and AstraZeneca recently agreed to lower the cost of prescription drugs for Medicaid after an executive order in May set a deadline for drugmakers to electively lower prices or face new limits on what the government will pay. — Staff, Twin Cities, 6 Nov. 2025 Both agreements, however, build on an executive order Trump signed in May that set a deadline for drugmakers to electively lower prices or face new limits on what the government will pay. — Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2025 The agreement by Pfizfer builds on an executive order Trump signed in May setting a deadline for drugmakers to electively lower prices or face new limits on what the government will pay. — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for electively
  1. either
  2. optionally
  3. instead
  4. alternately
  5. alternatively
Adverb
  • Nobody needed a little two-stroke street bike that could spend its afternoon embarrassing motorcycles twice its size, either.
    — Kevin Fanady, New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026
  • This isn’t a holiday-specific activity, either; Sephora offers fragrance sampler kits year-round!
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of either
Adverb
  • Beyond cargo transport, KONA’s modular architecture and optionally piloted design could eventually support other configurations, including communications relay, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and payload delivery.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Wavecamper, too, installs two individual rear seats standard but offers fifth and sixth seats optionally, expanding the Flex E-Line's capability to serve as a proper everyday MPV for families, as well as a cozy four-sleeper camper van.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of optionally
Adverb
  • The album mostly abandons the saxophone, the instrument Gendel is known for, instead opting for Auto-Tuned rap, glitchy R&B, and corroded 808s.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2026
  • There is a different theory, though, and that is that the shark in question wasn't a shark at all, but instead was a tarpon.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of instead
Adverb
  • Calder’s alternately delicate and massive sculptures are in communion with much larger forces around us.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • What the documentary finds, or at least calls new attention towards, is alternately eye-opening, obvious, and eye-opening for its obviousness.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of alternately
Adverb
  • Swarovski’s Hyperbola earrings are unique but timeless; alternatively, choose a statement piece, like Hunting Season’s Tagua pendant, or an oversized Pandora charm.
    — Mekaylah Yowpp-Hernacki, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2026
  • In recent years, Bravo has alternatively taken the reboot approach to its properties as a way to avoid the finality of cancellation.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of alternatively

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Cite this Entry

“Electively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/electively. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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