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
These drivers tend to work the most hours per week, know which shifts and locations are most profitable, and are typically more selective on which trip offers to accept or reject to maximize their earnings.
—
Len Sherman, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
Filing its first results since going public last May, the Spanish beauty and fashion group trumpeted that its market share in selective fragrances gained 60 basis points to 11.3 percent in value terms, compared to June 2023.
—Rhonda Richford, WWD, 6 Sep. 2024
Goldman is taking a more selective approach to commodity investing as soft demand in China weighs on crude oil and copper prices.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2024
Palme’s smart color politics as well as the selective and deliberate references to, for instance, Hokusai’s Great Wave off Kanagawa, ca.
—Moritz Scheper, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for selective 
Len Sherman, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
Filing its first results since going public last May, the Spanish beauty and fashion group trumpeted that its market share in selective fragrances gained 60 basis points to 11.3 percent in value terms, compared to June 2023.
—Rhonda Richford, WWD, 6 Sep. 2024
Goldman is taking a more selective approach to commodity investing as soft demand in China weighs on crude oil and copper prices.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2024
Palme’s smart color politics as well as the selective and deliberate references to, for instance, Hokusai’s Great Wave off Kanagawa, ca.
—Moritz Scheper, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for selective
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'selective.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near selective
Cite this Entry
“Selective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selective. Accessed 11 Sep. 2024.
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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