1. The act of choosing; selection. 2. The power, right, or liberty to choose; option. 3. One that is chosen. 4. A number or variety from which to choose: a wide choice of styles and colors.5. The best or most preferable part. 6. Care in choosing. 7. An alternative.
ADJECTIVE:
Inflected forms: choic·er, choic·est 1a. Of very fine quality. b. Appealing to refined taste. 2. Selected with care. 3. Of the U.S. Government grade of meat higher than good and lower than prime.
IDIOM:
of choice Preferred above others of the same kind or set: “the much used leveraged buyout as the weapon of choice” (Alison Leigh Cowan).
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English chois, from Old French, from choisir, to choose, from Vulgar Latin *causre, of Germanic origin. See geus- in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS:
choicely —ADVERB choiceness —NOUN
SYNONYMS:
choice, alternative, option, preference, selection, election These nouns denote the act, power, or right of choosing. Choice implies broadly the freedom to choose from a set: The store offers a wide choice of vegetables. I had no choice in the matter.Alternative emphasizes choice between only two possibilities or courses of action: “An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth…. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do” (Jane Austen). Option often stresses a power or liberty to choose that has been granted: The legislature outlined several tax options. Preference indicates choice based on one's values, bias, or predilections: We were offered our preference of wines.Selection suggests a variety of things or persons to choose from: The video store had a wide selection of foreign films.Election especially emphasizes the use of judgment: The university recommends the election of courses in literature. See also synonyms at delicate.
chois
re, of Germanic origin. See geus- in Appendix I.
ly —ADVERB
