selective
adjective
se·lec·tive
sə-ˈlek-tiv 
2
: highly specific in activity or effect
selective pesticides
selective absorption
Examples of selective in a Sentence
The club is selective in choosing members.
The college has a highly selective admissions process.
Recent Examples on the Web
Again, there is a little bit of selective presentation in this pronouncement, as Ulbrich didn’t acknowledge that this pushback comes from the new intent of modern machine learning, which — to a certain extent — is to replace actors by training AI on past work.
—
Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 21 Mar. 2025
The brand employs selective harvesting practices, for example, rotating agave plots to prevent soil depletion and enhance regrowth cycles.
—Mr. Sancho Pancho Contributor, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, a genetically cautious person might be more selective about new experiences, filtering their environment differently.
—Dalton Conley, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025
Columbia Law School reported an 11.75 percent acceptance rate, while NYU's School of Law saw an acceptance rate of 16.67 percent—both reflecting an increasingly selective admissions process.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selective
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Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 21 Mar. 2025
The brand employs selective harvesting practices, for example, rotating agave plots to prevent soil depletion and enhance regrowth cycles.
—Mr. Sancho Pancho Contributor, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, a genetically cautious person might be more selective about new experiences, filtering their environment differently.
—Dalton Conley, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025
Columbia Law School reported an 11.75 percent acceptance rate, while NYU's School of Law saw an acceptance rate of 16.67 percent—both reflecting an increasingly selective admissions process.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selective
Cite this Entry
“Selective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selective. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
selective
adjective
se·lec·tive
sə-ˈlek-tiv
: of or relating to selection : selecting or tending to select
selective shoppers
Medical Definition
selective
adjective
se·lec·tive
sə-ˈlek-tiv
2
: highly specific in activity or effect
selective pesticides
selective permeability of a plasma membrane
selectively
adverb
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