as in particular
tending to select carefully
we were highly selective about the music we listened to while trying out loudspeakers
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Recent Examples of selective
Project Veritas has been known to use deceptive techniques to record videos secretly and has, in the past, been accused of selective editing.
—
Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Why the selective ignorance about an Earth-rotation moment?
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 28 May 2026
That evolution is exactly what helped solidify this partnership in Charlotte, Mina told CharlotteFive, noting that Bourbon Steak is selective about opening new locations.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 28 May 2026
The most minimal type of pruning, selective pruning refers to removing dead, diseased, or broken branches and suckers coming up from the roots to improve the structure of the plant.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for selective
Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Why the selective ignorance about an Earth-rotation moment?
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 28 May 2026
That evolution is exactly what helped solidify this partnership in Charlotte, Mina told CharlotteFive, noting that Bourbon Steak is selective about opening new locations.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 28 May 2026
The most minimal type of pruning, selective pruning refers to removing dead, diseased, or broken branches and suckers coming up from the roots to improve the structure of the plant.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for selective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for selective
Adjective
-
Teenagers, in particular, wonder if they’ve been given a road block to future success.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
In particular, chip demand for AI has exploded, supporting both the training of AI models and their deployment across applications.—
Rakesh Kumar,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
The unique flavors are enough to impress even the choosiest casserole connoisseur.—
Emma Ashe,
Southern Living,
15 May 2026
-
The increase in costs is yet to hit bookings, but passengers are being choosier about destinations.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The have-nots are doing everything that used to guarantee great jobs — refreshing resumes, optimizing LinkedIn profiles and doing interviews — but companies are much more picky these days.—
Lily Wright,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
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Journalists are both fewer and pickier.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
There’s Chateau de Fère and Les Crayères, which is very imposing and old-fashioned; a couple of very nice funky little boutique hotels (including one owned by the Selosse family who make amazing, and amazingly priced, grower Champagne) and lots of good chambres d'hôtes.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
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Spring peas and wild rice make a nice combo filling for sweet bell peppers!—
Mary Ann Esposito,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Selective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/selective. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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