selective memory

noun

The ability to retrieve certain facts and events but not others.

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Meanings

nounselective memory (uncountable)
  1. uncountablehuman sciencesThe ability to retrieve certain facts and events but not others.
  2. uncountablehuman sciencesAn ability to remember some facts while apparently forgetting others, especially when they are inconvenient, embarrassing, or disadvantageous.
Cite this entry
APA

selective memory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/selective%20memory

MLA

“selective memory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/selective%20memory. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “selective memory,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/selective%20memory.

Source: selective memory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.