selectivePronunciation: /sɪˈlɛktɪv/Translate selective | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish Definition of selective adjective relating to or involving the selection of the most suitable or best qualified:the cow is the result of generations of selective breeding (of a person) tending to choose carefully:he is very selective in his reading (of a process or agent) affecting some things and not others:modern pesticides are more selective in effect chiefly Electronics operating at or responding to a particular frequency: a new marine VHF radio with digital selective callingDerivatives selectively adverb selectiveness noun selective in other Oxford dictionaries Definition of selective in the US English dictionary
