as in undiscriminating
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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
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
Adjective
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What happened in the court, instead, was part of a long overdue reckoning about the country’s obsession with seduction, the uncritical adulation of its artists and the stalling in France of the #MeToo movement.—
Catherine Porter,
New York Times,
13 May 2025
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The concern is not that AI is inherently detrimental, but rather the potential for its uncritical and pervasive use to lead to a form of agency decay – a diminished capacity for independent thought, problem-solving, and creative generation when the first and easiest solution is to defer to an AI.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The bill also calls for the State Department of Education to conduct random surprise visits at private special education institutions.—
Emilia Otte,
Hartford Courant,
30 May 2025
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Watch any random movie in the Cannes selection and you’re bound to see a parade of opening credits signaling production resources from across Europe, including many national film funds.—
Eric Kohn,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Additionally, as this week’s stock market slump revealed, haphazard threats do not happen in a vacuum.—
Aroop Mukharji,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Mar. 2025
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In lieu of federal regulation, there was a haphazard patchwork of state and local laws surrounding certain foods pre-1906.—
Lauren Leffer,
Popular Science,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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In the Turbine Hall, art could be as enjoyable, and as undemanding, as lying back on your chaise in Marbella.—
Jason Farago,
New York Times,
8 May 2025
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Many people crave more time with their friends, yet the anxiety of hosting what should be an undemanding get-together may preclude them from seeing their buds more often.—
Allie Volpe,
Vox,
7 Dec. 2018
Adjective
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For a team that felt aimless — weeks before the Haliburton trade, the Pacers’ starting five against the Golden State Warriors consisted of Keifer Sykes, Chris Duarte, Justin Holiday, Goga Bitadze and Torrey Craig — those moves changed everything.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
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Those examples were everywhere as the team seemed to make a relatively aimless pass through the regular season.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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Businesses now live in fear of retroactive rulings, arbitrary penalties and endless audits.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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The risks include wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure.—
Nick Butler,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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Yet, the Raptors haven’t made the playoffs in the desultory East since 2022, when Philadelphia dispatched them in the first round.—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
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Although the United States and its allies could deal with such ripostes, there would be no obvious military strategy to bring even a desultory exchange of strikes and counterstrikes to an end.—
Barry R. Posen,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Sep. 2010
Adjective
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On a whim, Joe decides to oppose him, and recruits his fellow officers, Guy (Luke Grimes) and Michael (Micheal Ward), to help him with his admittedly slapdash campaign.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
19 May 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Unselective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unselective. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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