self-select

verb

self-se·​lect ˌself-sə-ˈlekt 

self-selected; self-selecting; self-selects

1

transitive : to select (something) by or for oneself

People tend to self-select the environments that fit their needs.

—Cynthia M. Allen

2

intransitive : to select oneself as opposed to being selected

especially : to opt in or out of something (such as a group, activity, or category) in accordance with one's personality, interests, etc.

As always, remember that our Twitter polls are unscientific, because respondents self-select …

—Eric C. Evarts

We self-select into partisan echo chambers, staying far away from dissenting voices on social media and cable news.

—Brian Klaas

… a compensation structure that rewards profitable growth and encourages low performers to self-select out of the organization.

—Patrick Burke

3

intransitive : to attract or involve individuals who tend to have a particular characteristic

… analysis of social-media responses self-selects for people who actually want to share their thoughts.

—Adrian Lee

self-selected

ˌself-sə-ˈlek-təd 

adjective

a self-selected name

an unrepresentative, self-selected sampling

self-selection

ˌself-sə-ˈlek-shən 

noun

plural self-selections

student self-selection of reading materials

self-selection of survey respondents

The method helped researchers rule out self-selection bias, or the possibility that people who seek out dental care are different—perhaps healthier in general—than those who don't.

—Sarah Yang

Examples of self-select in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

People who don't fit your target audience self-select out, while your ideal clients feel seen and understood. —Jodie Cook, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025

Job seekers who self-select into ways of working and communication norms that fit with their personal preferences and aspirations are more likely to stay and flourish to be your company’s future leaders. Follow me on LinkedIn. —Phil Kirschner, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025

Still, Habib emphasizes that his guest lists aren’t policed, per se, but rather assembled from a self-selecting group. —Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2025

Such a film would offering a sobering — if largely analytical — reminder of what its self-selecting audience already suspected about these laws. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025

The order also sets out to prevent transgender and gender non-conforming Americans from self-selecting their gender on official government documents like visas and passports, an option first made available by the State Department in 2021. —Brooke Migdon, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2025

Co-working spaces, billed as community hubs, combine the trappings of a self-selecting office with the cheery imperative to network. —Adam Chandler, TIME, 2 Jan. 2025

That puts it into the category of self-selecting audience, so likely isn’t representative of the U.S. as a whole. —Erik Sherman, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024

The medium admits self-portraiture with obvious ease (just step in front of the camera), but few filmmakers can withstand its penetrating gaze, which is surely why the practice self-selects toward the masters of the art. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for self-select

• architect
• circumspect
• deselect
• dialect
• disconnect
• disinfect
• disrespect
• incorrect
• indirect
• intellect
• interject
• intersect