What does deselect mean?
Deselect is a verb meaning to reverse or undo a previous act of selection — to remove a person or thing from a list, group, or position that had been chosen for it. In everyday computing it is the standard term for clearing a highlighted option or file: you click once to select an item and click again to deselect it. The word also has a distinctive political sense, used chiefly in Britain, where a party may deselect a sitting Member of Parliament, formally withdrawing the endorsement that allows them to stand as its candidate at the next election; such deselections are often contentious events in constituency politics. Formed transparently from the prefix de- plus "select," the word is self-explanatory and neutral in tone, though its political sense can carry connotations of rejection or internal party conflict. Its noun form is deselection.
verbTo remove someone or something from a previously selected position, list, or group; especially to drop a politician from candidacy or an employee from a role.
- To withdraw a choice or selection from a list, option, or checkbox (common in computing and general usage).
- To formally drop a person from candidacy or office, especially by a political party (chiefly British).
"The committee voted to deselect the incumbent candidate ahead of the election."
"Hold down Ctrl and click again to deselect individual files from the group."
"After months of infighting, the local branch voted to deselect its MP."
Long before checkboxes existed, to be 'deselected' was the political kiss of death — British MPs who lost their party's backing were literally deselected out of a career.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of deselect
Deselect is formed within English from the Latin-derived verb "select" (from Latin seligere, "to pick out") combined with the negative prefix de-, indicating reversal. It emerged in English in the late 19th to early 20th century, with its political sense — removing a candidate's endorsement — becoming prominent in British usage during the twentieth century. It shares the same Latin root with words such as election, selection, collect, and intellect.
Related word forms
How deselect is actually used
Neutral register in everyday use. In British politics, "deselect" carries significant weight, referring to the formal removal of an approved parliamentary candidate; this sense is largely unfamiliar to American readers, where the word is mostly encountered in software interfaces.
Easily confused with deselect
"Unselect" is a newer, informal computing term meaning to undo a selection, while "deselect" is the more established word for removing something from a chosen set or dropping a person from office.