elective B2 Topic:Education & Learning US /ɪˈlɛktɪv/ See IPA manual Freq #30552 Meanings 1 adj Not required; chosen freely. She decided to take an elective course in photography. 2 noun A course of study that you can choose rather than one that is required. I still need to decide which electives to take next semester. 3 adj Of medical treatment, planned in advance rather than for an emergency. The hospital postponed all elective surgery during the crisis. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · not required; chosen freely. optionalvoluntarydiscretionary 2 noun · a course of study that you... elective course Word family Forms electives Derived forms electivelyelectivenesselectivitynonelectiveself-electivestereoelective Related forms electelection Common collocations elective surgery Adjective + noun Etymology AI details From elect + -ive. Topics Education & Learning Health & Medicine External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # elective **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** adj, noun **IPA (US):** /ɪˈlɛktɪv/ **Frequency rank:** 30552 ## Meanings 1. Not required; chosen freely. 2. A course of study that you can choose rather than one that is required. 3. Of medical treatment, planned in advance rather than for an emergency. ## Examples - She decided to take an elective course in photography. - I still need to decide which electives to take next semester. - The hospital postponed all elective surgery during the crisis. ## Derived Forms - electively - electiveness - electivity - nonelective - self-elective - stereoelective ## Related Forms - elect - election ## Etymology From elect + -ive. ## AI Etymology Elective is formed from elect + -ive. In current use, the main senses are “Not required; chosen freely” and “A course of study that you can choose rather than one that is required”. ## Topics - Education & Learning - Health & Medicine markdown