elective

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One of the greatest plays of our time, Tom Stoppard’s “Arcadia,” confronts Goethe’s “Elective Affinities” with our own elective affinities.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

Washington state does not provide an elective share for the surviving spouse, so married couples automatically retain their half of the community property.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026

At 19, I had “top surgery”—a euphemism for an elective double mastectomy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

Dunbar is on an elective residency visa, which forbids her from working while she’s there, so she has to rely on passive income.

From Slate • Feb. 1, 2026

The other class, Global Perspectives, was an elective.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi