What does selectiveness mean?
Selectiveness means the practice or quality of choosing carefully from among several possibilities. In a positive context, it describes discernment: an editor’s selectiveness in commissioning articles, for example, may ensure that only the strongest work is published. In a critical context, it can suggest that choices are too narrow, arbitrary, or exclusionary, as when a company is accused of selectiveness in hiring. The word is related to select and selection, but it most often emphasizes the thoughtful or restrictive nature of choosing. It is useful in formal discussion because it captures both the act of making distinctions and the implications those distinctions may have. Selectiveness is especially common in contexts involving admissions, hiring, curating, publishing, artistic taste, and access to opportunities.
nounThe tendency or practice of choosing carefully or making distinctions between options. It can imply discernment, restraint, or a preference for only certain people, things, or opportunities.
- The habit of choosing carefully among alternatives.
- The quality of being limited to particular people, things, categories, or opportunities.
- The ability to distinguish or select appropriate options.
"Her selectiveness in choosing collaborators made the project both demanding and highly successful."
"The editors exercised considerable selectiveness when deciding which proposals to publish."
"The policy was criticized for its selectiveness in granting access to applicants from only a few schools."
The plural is uncommon; the word is normally used as an uncountable noun.
"The study examined the differing selectivenesses of several admissions committees."
Selectiveness can be a mark of discernment or a sign of narrowness—the difference often lies in whether the choices are thoughtful or exclusionary.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of selectiveness
Selectiveness is derived from the Latin verb seligere, meaning “to choose,” which also gave English select, selection, and elective. The suffix -ness forms a noun expressing a quality or condition, so selectiveness came to mean the practice or quality of being selective. Its meaning developed from careful choosing toward the broader sense of deliberate distinction or restriction.
Related word forms
How selectiveness is actually used
Selectiveness is generally formal and often sounds more deliberate than the broader term selectivity. It can be complimentary when it suggests discernment, but negative when it implies unfair exclusion or excessive narrowness.
Easily confused with selectiveness
Selectivity is the noun most directly formed from select and commonly refers to the quality of being selective, while selectiveness is a less common equivalent that often suggests deliberate carefulness or narrowness in choices.
Selective is an adjective describing someone or something that makes careful choices, whereas selectiveness is the noun naming that quality or tendency.