Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

selective

/səˈlɛktɪv/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.88 in modern English

Syllables: se-lec-tive
IPA: /səˈlɛktɪv/

14

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of or relating to the process of selection.

adj

Of or relating to natural selection.

adj

Choosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting.

adj

Having the authority or capability to make a selection.

American usage

adj

Of or relating to the social work approach called selectivity.

Example Sentences

"The selective algorithm excludes the redundant classifiers to construct a streamlined ensemble learning."
"selective pressure"
"He's very selective and spent hours in the store choosing a new shirt."
"In the USA, military conscription is controlled by the Selective Service."
"Eligibility criteria form the essence of selective programs and individuals are evaluated using a means test."

Usage

American usage

Inflected Forms

more selective (comparative) most selective (superlative)

Derived Forms

anxioselective atroposelective autoselective cardioselective celecoxib chemoselective counterselective cytoselective enantioselective hepatoselective immunoselective isoselective

Phrases

ion-selective electrode ion selective electrode ion-selective membrane non-selective potassium selective electrode selective advantage selective androgen receptor modulator selective breeding

Frequently Paired Words

select selectivity

Rhymes With

effective perspective objective collective detective respective protective prospective subjective directive ineffective reflective

Questions

How do you pronounce selective?: The recorded pronunciation is /səˈlɛktɪv/.
What does selective mean?: Of or relating to the process of selection.

How to pronounce selective

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “selective”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/səˈlɛktɪv/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “selective”.
Repeat and practice — Say “selective” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.