Wiktionary

eclectic

English

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WOTD – 15 September 2010

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From French éclectique, from Ancient Greek ἐκλεκτικός (eklektikós, “selective”), from ἐκλέγω (eklégō, “I pick, choose”), from ἐκ (ek, “out, from”) + λέγω (légō, “I choose, count”).

Cognate to elect.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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eclectic (comparative more eclectic, superlative most eclectic)

  1. Selecting a mixture of what appears to be best of various doctrines, methods or styles.
    • 1893, John Robson, Hinduism and its Relations to Christianity, pages 211, 214:
      Chunder Sen and the Progressive Brahmists broke entirely with Hinduism...and he selected from the scriptures of all creeds what seemed best in them for instruction and for worship. […] It is an eclectic religion: it seeks to select what is good from all religions, and it has become the latest evidence that no eclectic religion can ever influence large numbers of men.
    • 2017 August 2, Seth Rogovoy, Don Byron and Friends to Explore Early Soul Music at Helsinki Hudson‎[1]:
      Though rooted in jazz, Byron's music is stylistically eclectic.
  2. Unrelated and unspecialized; heterogeneous.
    • 1983, Peter J. Wilson, Man, the Promising Primate: The Conditions of Human Evolution, page 140:
      All members of the Hominoidea, apes and man, show an eclectic taste in food but select, from a wide range of possibilities, only a few to provide the bulk of their diet.
    • 2006, W. Frederick Zimmerman, Should Barack Obama Be President?, page 153:
      Colvin said Obama has an eclectic taste in music, listening to everything from Indonesian flute music to OutKast to Motown.
    • 2018 September 26, Drachinifel, 2:30 from the start, in The Battle of Lissa - Special‎[2], archived from the original on 9 August 2023:
      The Austrians concentrated their entire armored formation into the 1st Division; the 2nd Division consisted solely of the wooden ship of the line Kaiser, looking incredibly out of place in a battle of ironclads, along with five frigates; and the 3rd Division had an eclectic collection of smaller gunboats and armed merchantmen.

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

See also

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Noun

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eclectic (plural eclectics)

  1. Someone who selects according to the eclectic method.
    • 1986 December 14, Mary Morrisey, “Roll Over, Jehovah — And Tell St. Nick the News”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 22, page 5:
      Neo-Pagans are eclectics, often borrowing from a variety of cultural traditions as they try to shape their religious organizations and practices to meet group and individual needs.

Translations

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French éclectique.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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eclectic m or n (feminine singular eclectică, masculine plural eclectici, feminine and neuter plural eclectice)

  1. eclectic

Declension

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Declension of eclectic
singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative/
accusative 		indefinite eclectic eclectică eclectici eclectice
definite eclecticul eclectica eclecticii eclecticele
genitive/
dative 		indefinite eclectic eclectice eclectici eclectice
definite eclecticului eclecticei eclecticilor eclecticelor
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