selectiveadjective
uk/sɪˈlek.tɪv/us/səˈlek.tɪv/C1 intentionally choosing some things and not others:
As a teacher she was very selective, accepting only a small number of exceptionally gifted pupils.
He seemed to have a very selective recall of past events.
More examples
- Nowadays he can afford to be much more selective about the roles he accepts.
- I'm more selective about the programmes I watch than I used to be.
- Parents have a selected memory when they recall their children's early years.
- selective education
- the selective and non-selective school sectors
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Taking and choosing
- accord
- adopt
- adopted
- adoption
- appoint
- bags I... idiom
- dip
- easy option
- either-or
- elect
- empanel
- go off with sth
- have/keep your options open idiom
- select
- selection
- selector
- self-selected
- single sb/sth out
- skim sb/sth off
- slate
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selectively
adverb uk/sɪˈlek.tɪv.li/us/səˈlek.tɪv.li/
selectivity
noun [ U ] uk/ˌsɪl.ekˈtɪv.ə.ti/us/səˌlekˈtɪv.ə.t̬i/also selectiveness, uk/-nəs/us