What does selection mean?
A selection is the act of choosing among alternatives, or the group of people or things chosen as a result. The word commonly appears in contexts such as hiring, admissions, purchasing, competitions, and product choice, where criteria and preferences determine which candidates or options are preferred. “Selection” can also mean the chosen range itself, as in a restaurant offering a large selection of dishes. In biology, it has a more specialized meaning: the differential survival and reproduction of organisms carrying advantageous traits, as in “natural selection.” Because it focuses on the process and result of choosing rather than merely the act of picking one item, “selection” often suggests deliberation, criteria, or comparison. It is a useful general word for discussing both deliberate choices and the evolutionary mechanisms that shape the living world.
The act or process of choosing one or more people, things, or options from a range; also the resulting chosen group or range.
"The panel made its selection after reviewing the applications."
In biology, the term refers to the evolutionary process by which advantageous heritable traits become more common in a population.
Relating to or used in the act of choosing, especially in a context where options are assessed against criteria.
"The selection committee will meet on Monday."
This attributive use is common in phrases such as “selection process,” “selection criteria,” and “selection committee.”
Use the plural when referring to multiple choices, chosen groups, or separate acts of choosing.
"The finalists made their selections from the available options."
From the Latin for “to choose,” selection is the quiet mechanism behind everything from hiring teams to the evolution of species.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does selection come from?
Selection entered English in the 17th century from Latin selectio, a noun meaning “a choosing” or “selection,” derived from seligere, “to choose.” The same Latin root appears in English words such as select, elective, and selector. Its original sense was the act of choosing, and it later extended to the people or things selected and to specialized scientific meanings.
Related word forms
How selection is actually used
The noun is standard in both British and US English. In biology, “selection” is especially common in the established phrases “natural selection” and “sexual selection.”
Easily confused with selection
A selection is the general act of choosing from alternatives, whereas an election usually refers to a formal public vote.
A selection is a chosen subset or the act of choosing, while a collection is an assembled group of people or things.