facultative

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.

"Fascinatingly, we found that the obligately agamospermous Balanophora species were all island species -- and we speculate that more Balanophora species may be facultative, or even obligate, agamosperms."

From Science Daily • Dec. 20, 2025

For the first time, scientists have induced facultative parthenogenesis, a form of asexual reproduction, in an animal that usually reproduces sexually.

From Salon • Jul. 28, 2023

Some species, termed facultative parthenogens, alternate between sexual and asexual reproduction.

From Scientific American • Jun. 9, 2023

Note that there is no clear line that differentiates facultative carnivores from omnivores; dogs would be considered facultative carnivores.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Many are exclusively parasitic or saprophytic, and many are facultative, both conditions of living being possible.

From Disease and Its Causes by Councilman, William Thomas