From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englisheclectice‧clec‧tic1 /ɪˈklektɪk/ adjective VARIOUS/OF DIFFERENT KINDSincluding a mixture of many different things or people, especially so that you can use the best of all of them SYN diverse galleries with an eclectic range of styles and artists an eclectic mixture of 18th- and 19th-century furniture —eclectically /-kli/ adverb —eclecticism /-tɪsɪzəm/ noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
eclectic• The selection is both practical and literary, subjective and eclectic.• But after a summer in Trinidad, he realized he had only scratched the surface of the eclectic and complex belief system.• The album features an eclectic collection of old blues, jazz, and romantic pop standards.• The pub has one of those eccentrically eclectic menus that you might associate with lesser pub food.• Opera is known for attracting an eclectic mix of the powerful, the hip and the happening.• And she uses an eclectic range of procedures, from experiments and questionnaires to semi-structured and counselling interviews.• That choice makes the book eclectic rather than encyclopedic.eclecticeclectic2 noun [countable] formalBEST someone who chooses the best or most useful parts from many different ideas, methods etcOrigin eclectic1 (1600-1700) Greek eklektikos, from eklegein “to choose” 