Meanings
comparative more selective · superlative most selective
- Of or relating to the process of selection.
The selective algorithm excludes the redundant classifiers to construct a streamlined ensemble learning.
2016, Xingming Sun, Alex Liu, Han-Chieh Chao, Cloud Computing and Security: Second International Conference, ICCCS 2016, Nanjing, China, July 29-31, 2016, Revised Selected Papers (part 2, page 579) - Choosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting.
He's very selective and spent hours in the store choosing a new shirt.
- USnot comparableHaving the authority or capability to make a selection.
In the USA, military conscription is controlled by the Selective Service.
- Of or relating to the social work approach called selectivity.
Eligibility criteria form the essence of selective programs and individuals are evaluated using a means test.
2006, Francis J. Turner, Encyclopedia of Canadian Social Work, page 189
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivetending to select; characterized by careful choice
adjectivecharacterized by very careful or fastidious selection
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Ancient Greek ἐκλεκτικός
- ἐκλεκτικός (eklektikós)choosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
Arabic اِنْتِقَائِيّ
- اِنْتِقَائِيّ (intiqāʔiyy)choosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
Bulgarian избирателен, селективен
- избирателен (izbiratelen)of or pertaining to the process of selection
- селективен (selektiven)of or relating to natural selection
- придирчив (pridirčiv)choosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
Catalan selectiu, selectiu
- selectiuof or pertaining to the process of selection
- selectiuchoosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
Czech vybíravý
- vybíravýchoosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
Finnish valikoiva, selektiivinen
- valikoivaof or pertaining to the process of selection
- selektiivinenof or pertaining to the process of selection
- valikoivachoosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
- selektiivinenchoosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
French sélectif, sélectif
- sélectifof or pertaining to the process of selection
- sélectifchoosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
German selektiv, auswählend
- selektivof or pertaining to the process of selection
- auswählendof or pertaining to the process of selection
- herausgreifendof or pertaining to the process of selection
- ausgewähltof or pertaining to the process of selection
- gezieltof or pertaining to the process of selection
- punktuellof or pertaining to the process of selection
- selektivof or relating to natural selection
- Selektions-of or relating to natural selection
- wählerischchoosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
Greek εκλεκτικός
- εκλεκτικός (eklektikós)choosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
Italian selettivo
- selettivoof or pertaining to the process of selection
Norwegian Bokmål selektiv
- selektivof or pertaining to the process of selection
Polish selektywny, wybiórczy
- selektywnyof or pertaining to the process of selection
- wybiórczyof or pertaining to the process of selection
- wybiórczychoosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
Portuguese seletivo
- seletivoof or pertaining to the process of selection
Romanian selectiv, de selecție
- selectivof or pertaining to the process of selection
- de selecțieof or pertaining to the process of selection
Russian вы́борный, селекти́вный
- вы́борный (výbornyj)of or pertaining to the process of selection
- селекти́вный (selektívnyj)of or pertaining to the process of selection
- избира́тельный (izbirátelʹnyj)of or pertaining to the process of selection
- разбо́рчивый (razbórčivyj)choosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
- перебо́рчивый (perebórčivyj)choosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
Slovak selektívny, selekčný
- selektívnyof or pertaining to the process of selection
- selekčnýof or pertaining to the process of selection
- vyberavýchoosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
- prieberčivýchoosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
Spanish selectivo, selectivo
- selectivoof or pertaining to the process of selection
- selectivochoosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
Turkish seçici
- seçicichoosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with selective
Cite this entry
selective. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/selective
“selective.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/selective. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “selective,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/selective.
Source: selective on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.