unselective

adjective

Definition of unselectivenext
as in undiscriminating

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unselective The kind of person, in other words, who these days tends to start a college career—typically at an unselective school—but all-too-often ends up dropping out. — Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 7 Sep. 2012 The cult film Idiocracy (2006) imagines a future in which Americans' mental capacities have been degraded by generations of pop culture, junk food, and–how to put this delicately–unselective breeding. — Samuel Goldman, The Week, 1 Mar. 2022 With an unselective online-only model seeking to scale rapidly, Lambda is likely to end up somewhere between (free) MOOCs and (costly) for-profit online universities, which – given its ISA model – sounds about right. — Ryan Craig, Forbes, 28 May 2021 Its wide muzzle suggests unselective bulk-feeding on grasses and low-growing herbs. — Smithsonian, 8 May 2018 But Pakistani officials went to pains to say the toll was unselective, with Muslims and Christians among the dead and bereaved. — Daniyal Hassan, Naila Inayat and Salman Masood, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unselective
  1. uncritical
  2. random
  3. haphazard
  4. undemanding
  5. aimless
  6. arbitrary
  7. desultory
  8. slapdash
Adjective
  • In the early to mid-2010s, Musk took advantage of a different era of technology coverage—one that was more gadget-focused and largely uncritical—to hype his ideas for the future of transportation and interplanetary exploration.
    — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2025
  • For a longer if equally uncritical account of the cartel’s activities, see Osram chairman William Meinhardt’s Entwicklung und Aufbau der Glühlampenindustrie (Carl Heymanns Verlag, 1932).
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 24 Sep. 2014
Definition of uncritical
Adjective
  • Choosing a random cabin location Choose your cabin location with careful consideration and a strategic approach.
    — Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Cherry rues the random nature of these instances of trauma, which explode only to be forgotten five minutes later, subsumed beneath the next crisis.
    — Sam Worley, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025
Definition of random
Adjective
  • Marta González de la Rubia, an archivist at Loewe who gave me a tour of the facility, told me that in the company’s early decades the retention of samples had been haphazard, and that this was especially true with the company’s packaging.
    — Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
  • The vibrations felt more haphazard, with less granular effects, but loud shots were still met with strong motor bumps.
    — PCMAG, PCMAG, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of haphazard
Adjective
  • Tough, undemanding, and rarely bothered by pests, a cheery patch of daffodils can last for generations.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2025
  • Nonetheless, this is pleasantly undemanding fare targeting younger kids, and Ferrell is quite charming in the role.
    — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025
Definition of undemanding
Adjective
  • Her dull, aimless life in Chicago as a cleaner who's stuck with her relatives is the opposite of special though.
    — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Oh, the delicious irony of Mr. Only the Ivies Count Lest Your Child Fail to Launch having a daughter who’s in an aimless 19th month of a gap year between high school and college.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
Definition of aimless
Adjective
  • The user is urged to visit a website and pay an arbitrary toll amount to avoid a $50 fine.
    — Dan Avery, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2025
  • His morning rants and arbitrary policies only harm the economy.
    — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of arbitrary
Adjective
  • Daniel Gordon’s film focused on the 100-meter final at the Seoul Olympics, a race that was dominated by Ben Johnson, who then abdicated the crown after a positive steroid test, leaving Carl Lewis as the desultory victor.
    — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025
  • But the Academy really didn’t go for Revolutionary Road, which received a Supporting Actor nod for Michael Shannon (back row, 11th from right) and desultory nominations for Art Direction and Costume Design but nothing for Winslet or her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio.
    — Zach Schonfeld, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
Definition of desultory
Adjective
  • Mad About the Boy, an adaptation of the slapdash third novel that starts streaming on Peacock on February 13, keeps the trope-laden structure, but finds surprising depth in a devastating plot twist.
    — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
  • The seemingly slapdash document to overhaul the nation’s spending priorities created confusion throughout the federal government.
    — Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 29 Jan. 2025
Definition of slapdash

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Cite this Entry

“Unselective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unselective. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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