elective

About 2.60 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. adjective Of, or pertaining to voting or elections; involving a choice between options.
2. adjective Open to choice; freely chosen; unnecessary; minor.

   After accounting for all of my required courses, there is hardly any room in my schedule for any elective ones.

3. adjective Scheduled and nonemergent (regardless of whether necessary or unnecessary and whether minor or serious).

   It was very confusing hearing my cancer surgery being classified as "elective surgery". Am I "electing" to live rather than die?

4. noun Something that is an option or may be freely chosen, especially a course of study.

   I still need to decide which electives to take along with my compulsory courses next semester.

Similar words

optional elected electoral nonappointive option choice selective voluntary facultative discretionary

Often followed by

franchise office system surgery courses and offices affinities affinity

Word family

electively electiveness electivenesses electives