selective
Choosing only some people or things and saying no to the rest.
Tending to choose only particular people or things, and not accepting everything or everyone.
Working on or for only one type of thing, person, or part, and not on others.
Designed to affect, act on, or involve only particular types of things, people, or parts, while leaving others mostly unchanged.
- Base: selective
be selective about
1choose carefully in a specific area
To choose carefully and not accept everything in a particular area, such as food, friends, or jobs.
- You should be selective about the information you share online.
- I’ve learned to be selective about the projects I take on.
highly selective
1very limited or choosy
Accepting or affecting only a very small number of people or things.
- It’s a highly selective program that only takes twenty students a year.
- This drug is highly selective and mainly affects one type of receptor.
selective breeding
1controlled breeding for desired traits
Breeding plants or animals by choosing parents with special qualities you want in the next generation.
- Dogs have been shaped by centuries of selective breeding.
- Selective breeding produced cows that give more milk.
selective college
1college that is hard to get into
A college or university that accepts only a small number of people who apply.
- Getting into a selective college often requires strong grades and test scores.
- He applied to several selective colleges on the East Coast.
selective hearing
1hearing only what you want
Only seeming to hear and notice the things you want to hear, and ignoring the rest.
- Teenagers are famous for their selective hearing.
- He has selective hearing when I ask him to help with the housework.
selective memory
1remembering only convenient things
When someone remembers only the things that make them look good or feel good, and forgets other things.
- He seems to have a very selective memory about his mistakes.
- You have selective memory if you only remember the times you were right.
selective school
1school with limited admissions
A school that only accepts students who pass tests or meet special conditions.
- She studied hard to get into a selective school.
- Many selective schools require entrance exams.
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
1type of antidepressant medicine (SSRI)
A common type of antidepressant medicine that mainly affects the brain chemical serotonin.
- Her doctor prescribed a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor to treat her depression.
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are often known by the short name SSRIs.