From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishelectivee‧lec‧tive1 /ɪˈlektɪv/ adjective formal 1 PPVan elective position or organization is one for which there is an election the 34 elective seats in the National Assembly2 MHelective medical treatment is treatment that you choose to have, although you do not have to elective surgery such as hip replacements3 American English an elective course is one that students can choose to take, although they do not have to take it in order to graduate → module
Examples from the Corpus
elective• Create a first-year elective course on social justice, including public interest law and race.• The patient was then enrolled into a programme of elective longterm prophylactic sclerotherapy.• I would just hope that everybody understands we do not support this procedure as an elective measure.• As the story unfolds, first Axel and then Alec come to wield extraordinary power in Washington without running for elective office.• Forbes, 48, a multimillionaire funding his presidential bid with his own money, has never held elective office.• This finding supports the view that chemotherapy should be the elective treatment in this group.• It is sad that Park and colleagues have not understood the logical and moral basis of elective ventilation.elective surgery• The hospital delayed elective surgeries, but the day otherwise went smoothly, a spokeswoman said.• Diagnostic tests and elective surgeries may be postponed or ordered less frequently.electiveelective2 noun [countable] American EnglishSEC a course that students can choose to take, but they do not have to take it in order to graduate → moduleExamples from the Corpus
elective• This class is an elective, and so I chose it, and I chose to come.• Or is this just another blow-off elective, designed to pad the students' schedules?• A mixed group of students would be catered for by placing greater emphasis on electives. 