eclectic

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɛkˈlɛk.tɪk/ See IPA manual

Freq #33417

Meanings

1

adj
Made up of a wide mixture of styles, ideas, or things chosen from many sources.

She has an eclectic taste in music, from jazz to heavy metal.
2

noun
A person who chooses ideas or methods from many different sources.

As an eclectic, he borrowed freely from many philosophies.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · made up of a wide mixture... heterogeneous

2 noun · a person who chooses ideas... eclecticist

Opposites

exclusive homogeneous orthodox standard uniform

Word family

Forms eclectics

Derived forms eclecticallyeclecticismeclecticisteclecticizeeclectionnoneclecticuneclectic

Related forms heteroclite holistic

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

eclectic method
an approach that combines useful ideas from different traditions or systems

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From French éclectique, from Ancient Greek ἐκλεκτικός (eklektikós, “selective”), from ἐκλέγω (eklégō, “to pick, choose”), from ἐκ (ek, “out, from”) + λέγω (légō, “to choose, count”). Cognate to elect.

éclectique French ἐκλεκτικός Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# eclectic

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ɛkˈlɛk.tɪk/
**Frequency rank:** 33417

## Meanings
1. Made up of a wide mixture of styles, ideas, or things chosen from many sources.
2. A person who chooses ideas or methods from many different sources.

## Examples
- She has an eclectic taste in music, from jazz to heavy metal.
- As an eclectic, he borrowed freely from many philosophies.

## Synonyms
- heterogeneous

## Antonyms
- exclusive
- homogeneous
- orthodox
- standard
- uniform

## Derived Forms
- eclectically
- eclecticism
- eclecticist
- eclecticize
- eclection
- noneclectic
- uneclectic

## Related Forms
- heteroclite
- holistic

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: éclectique
- Root: ἐκλεκτικός

## Etymology
From French éclectique, from Ancient Greek ἐκλεκτικός (eklektikós, “selective”), from ἐκλέγω (eklégō, “to pick, choose”), from ἐκ (ek, “out, from”) + λέγω (légō, “to choose, count”). Cognate to elect.

## AI Etymology
Eclectic is from French éclectique, from Ancient Greek ἐκλεκτικός (eklektikós, “selective”), from ἐκλέγω (eklégō, “to pick, choose”), from ἐκ (ek, “out, from”) + λέγω (légō, “to choose, count”). Cognate to elect. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. In present-day use, it can mean made up of a wide mixture of styles, ideas, or things chosen from many sources, or a person who chooses ideas or methods from many different sources. Related forms include heteroclite, holistic. Derived formations include eclectically, eclecticism, eclecticist, eclecticize, eclection.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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