Selective

adjective

Frequency

High

CEFR Level

Neutral

Domain

General

Definition

1. Careful about what you choose to do, buy, or accept.
2. Affecting or relating to only certain chosen people or things from a group.
3. Remembering only what is convenient and forgetting the rest.
4. In electronics, capable of separating out a particular frequency.

Context Alive

The boutique was packed with beautiful dresses in every color. Sarah walked past most of them without a second glance. She was incredibly selective about what she tried on, only pulling out pieces that matched her exact vision. Her friends always joked she could spend hours looking and leave with just one perfect item.

Meanings

4 meanings

1 Careful About What You Choose (Adjective) Very Common ▼

This meaning is about being picky and not accepting just anything. Imagine you’re shopping for a new apartment — you visit ten places, but you’re very selective about which one you pick, checking every detail before deciding. This is being selective — choosing carefully instead of settling. You might say “she’s very selective about the restaurants she eats at,” or someone could be “selective about who they spend time with.” Or picture a hiring manager going through hundreds of applications — they’re selective because they only want the best candidates. The word suggests high standards and careful thought. ✏️ It’s close to “picky” or “choosy,” but selective sounds more positive — it implies good judgment rather than being difficult.

Vivid Example

The couple had been looking at houses for months. They were incredibly selective about the neighborhood, the layout, and even the natural light. They finally found the perfect place and knew right away it was worth the wait.

2 Affecting Only Certain Chosen Things From a Group (Adjective) Common ▼

This meaning is about a process that targets specific things, not everything. Imagine a farmer who uses selective breeding to produce bigger tomatoes — they don’t breed every plant, just the ones with the best qualities. This is selective as a process — it applies to some things and deliberately leaves out others. You might hear “the company made selective cuts to reduce costs” or “the government introduced selective measures to protect certain industries.” Or think about a school that only admits top students — it uses a selective admissions process. The word points to deliberate, targeted action. ✏️ This often appears with words like “breeding,” “process,” “approach,” or “measures” — it describes systems and methods, not just people.

Vivid Example

The scientists had been working on the project for years. They used selective breeding techniques to develop stronger, more resilient crops. Their careful approach eventually led to a breakthrough that changed farming in the region.

3 Remembering Only What Suits You (Adjective) Common ▼

This meaning is about choosing to remember only what is convenient. You know when someone tells a story but leaves out the parts that make them look bad? They have a selective memory — they remember the good bits and “forget” the rest. This is being selective with your memory. You might say “he has a very selective memory about what happened that night” or “she’s being selective about the facts.” Or picture a politician who only mentions the successes of their time in office and ignores all the failures. The word carries a note of disapproval — it suggests someone is being dishonest or self-serving. ✏️ “Selective memory” and “selective amnesia” are very common expressions — they imply someone is deliberately forgetting inconvenient truths.

Vivid Example

Everyone remembered the argument differently. Jake had a very selective memory about the whole thing, recalling only the parts where he looked reasonable. His friends just shook their heads — they knew exactly what had really happened.

4 Capable of Separating a Particular Frequency (Adjective) Specialized ▼

This meaning is about electronics and technical equipment. Imagine tuning an old radio — the receiver needs to be selective enough to pick up one station clearly without interference from nearby signals. This is selective in a technical sense — the ability to isolate one frequency from many. You might hear “the device has highly selective filtering” or “engineers designed a selective circuit to block unwanted signals.” Or think about a microphone that only captures sound from one direction — it’s selective about what it picks up. The word points to precision and specificity in technology. ✏️ You probably won’t use this meaning in everyday conversation, but understanding it helps when reading about audio, radio, or signal processing.

Vivid Example

The old radio kept picking up static from nearby stations. After installing a more selective filter, the signal came through perfectly clear. The engineer smiled — the upgrade had solved the interference problem completely.

Examples from the Street

“She’s really selective about who she lets into her life.”

She’s very careful about choosing who she spends time with and doesn’t trust people easily

“You can’t afford to be selective when there are only two options.”

You don’t have the luxury of being picky when your choices are so limited

“He has a selective memory — he only remembers what suits him.”

He conveniently forgets anything that doesn’t work in his favour

Common Patterns

be selective about something → be careful and deliberate about what you choose

be selective in something → exercise careful judgement in a particular area

selective about who/what/where/how → choosy regarding specific aspects

highly/very selective → extremely careful about choosing, accepting only the best

too selective → so picky that it becomes a problem or limits your options

become/get more selective → start being pickier over time, usually with experience

selective memory → remembering only what suits you and conveniently forgetting the rest

selective hearing → only hearing what you want to hear and ignoring the rest

selective attention → focusing only on certain things while filtering out others

selective use of something → deliberately choosing only certain parts to use (often to mislead)

selective enforcement/application → applying rules only in certain cases, not consistently

Collocations

3 collocations

selective memory

remembering only what suits you

highly selective

very careful about what you choose

selective hearing

hearing only what you want to hear

Example Sentences

12 examples

Top universities are highly selective — they only accept a tiny percentage of applicants

The best institutions are extremely choosy — they offer places to only a very small number of the people who apply.

As I’ve got older, I’ve become more selective about how I spend my weekends

With age, I’ve started being much pickier about what I do with my free time on Saturday and Sunday.

She’s very selective in her hiring — she’d rather leave a position empty than fill it with the wrong person

She’s extremely careful when recruiting — she’d prefer to keep a role vacant than bring in someone who isn’t the right fit.

My dad has selective hearing — ask him to do the dishes and he suddenly can’t hear a thing

My father conveniently goes deaf whenever you request that he wash up — he only listens when it suits him.

You’re being too selective — if you keep rejecting every flat, you’ll never move out

You’re being so fussy that you’re ruling out everything — at this rate you’ll stay where you are forever.

The report was criticised for its selective use of statistics that supported only one side of the argument

The document was attacked for deliberately picking only the numbers that backed a single viewpoint while ignoring the rest.

I’m not fussy about most things, but I’m selective about the coffee I drink

I’m easy-going in general, but I’m very particular when it comes to choosing which coffee I have.

He has a selective memory — he remembers every favour he’s done but forgets every one he’s received

He conveniently recalls every kind thing he’s given but has no recollection of all the help others have offered him.

The government was accused of selective enforcement of the new regulations

The authorities were blamed for applying the new rules only in certain situations while ignoring violations elsewhere.

She’s selective about who she shares personal information with, and I respect that

She’s careful about choosing which people she opens up to about private matters, and I think that’s wise.

Learner Examples

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Good language learners are selective about which vocabulary they prioritise — they focus on high-frequency words first

Effective students are careful about choosing which new words to learn first — they concentrate on the ones that appear most often in everyday use.

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Teachers sometimes have selective hearing in the classroom — they catch whispering at the back but miss the obvious question at the front

Educators occasionally hear only certain things during lessons — they pick up on quiet chatting in the last row but somehow don’t notice the clear query right in front of them.