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
Uncertainty reigns, even among the most selective colleges and universities.
—
Brennan Barnard, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Tesla's website shares safety performance data about its assisted-driving system, but as with most companies, the data is selective, safety experts say.
—Joann Muller, Axios, 21 May 2025
Episodes of natural selection are sometimes ephemeral, and evidence of them vanishes from our genomes when the selective pressures subside or when populations mix.
—Kermit Pattison, Scientific American, 20 May 2025
Reducing Barriers To Account Usage With more options available than ever, today’s banking consumers can afford to be more selective.
—Visa Contributor, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for selective
Brennan Barnard, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Tesla's website shares safety performance data about its assisted-driving system, but as with most companies, the data is selective, safety experts say.
—Joann Muller, Axios, 21 May 2025
Episodes of natural selection are sometimes ephemeral, and evidence of them vanishes from our genomes when the selective pressures subside or when populations mix.
—Kermit Pattison, Scientific American, 20 May 2025
Reducing Barriers To Account Usage With more options available than ever, today’s banking consumers can afford to be more selective.
—Visa Contributor, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for selective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for selective
Adjective
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Liquids in particular grew 50 percent at the retailer, thanks in part to Mary Ruth’s.—
Emily Burns,
Footwear News,
9 June 2025
-
His curls may be a little grayer, but his ultra-expressive face — acrobatic eyebrows in particular — reflects his eternal curiosity and up-for-anything-ness.—
Rebecca Milzoff,
Billboard,
9 June 2025
Adjective
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While tariffs may lead to consumers being more choosy, Link said the overall macroeconomic picture still looks positive, bolstered by lower interest rates, a steady job market and strong consumer savings.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2025
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And by that time in her career, Salonga could be choosy.—
Robert Ito,
New York Times,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Pets can be pretty picky, especially with their food and water.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
5 June 2025
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There is no such thing as a perfect candidate, so don’t be so darn picky.—
Michelle Jefferson,
Baltimore Sun,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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That this wrap-up happens on the stoop of an apartment building provides a nice callback to Past Lives.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 June 2025
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Reyes was a nice spring training story, but the Yankees were fooled by meaningless February and March stats.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
8 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Selective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/selective. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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