Choice — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun adjective /ˈchȯis/

Meaning & Definition of Choice

Choice (noun)

  1. the act of choosing, selection
  2. power of choosing, option
  3. the best part, cream

Choice (adjective)

  1. worthy of being chosen
  2. selected with care
  3. of high quality

Choice (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the power, right, or opportunity to choose

    "you have no choice: you have to go to the conference"

    similar: alternative, discretion, druthers (dialect), election, liberty, option, pick, preference, selection, volition, way
    related: determination, free will, will, say, voice, vote, inclination, liking, partiality, penchant, predilection, proclivity, propensity, tendency, discernment, judgment, perspicacity
    near: coercion, duress, force, duty, obligation, Hobson's choice

  2. a person or thing that is chosen

    "my choice for best song of all time"

    similar: bet, chosen, pick, selection
    related: favorite, like, liking, preference, elective, option, appointment, designation, nomination, appointee, candidate, nominee, selectee, preselection

  3. individuals carefully selected as being the best of a class

    "that school accepts only the choice of the city's crop of high school students"

    similar: A-list, aristocracy, best, corps d'elite, cream, crème de la crème, elect, elite, fat, flower, illuminati, pick, pink, pride, priesthood, prime, royalty, upper crust, cream of the crop, Hall of Fame
    related: establishment, gentry, nobility, quality, society, top, top drawer, upper class, caviar, who's who
    near: commoners, herd, hoi polloi, masses, millions, mob, multitude, rank and file, unwashed

  4. the act or power of making one's own choices or decisions

    "the prisoner had no choice but to do what he was told"

    similar: accord, autonomy, free will, self-determination, volition, will
    related: election, preference, selection, bent, devices, disposition, inclination, leaning, partiality, penchant, predilection, predisposition, proclivity, propensity, tendency, alternative, discretion, option, pick, way
    near: coercion, compulsion, constraint, duress, force, pressure

  5. the act or process of selecting

    "you'll have to make a choice eventually"

    similar: choosing, election, picking, selecting, selection
    related: option, appointment, assignment, designation, naming, nomination, decision

Choice (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having qualities that appeal to a refined taste

    "choice chocolates for which chocolate lovers are willing to pay extra"

    similar: dainty, delicate, elegant, exquisite, fine, rare, recherché, select
    related: bijou, jewellike, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, special, elite, exclusive, classic, excellent, fabulous, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, marvelous, noble, outstanding, par excellence, premium, prime, sensational, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, transcendent, unsurpassed, wonderful, ultrarare
    near: coarse, gross, kitsch, kitschy, lowbrow, raffish, rough, rough-hewn, tasteless, uncultivated, uncultured, unpolished, unrefined, vulgar, commercial, mass-produced, popular, common, ordinary, average, lesser, mediocre, run-of-the-mill, run-of-the-mine, second-class, second-rate, deficient, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wanting

  2. of the very best kind

    "thus far, the pool of applicants for the job has been less than choice"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, classic, cool (slang), corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope (slang), down (slang), dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous (slang), fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one, numero uno, out-of-sight (slang), par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat (slang), prime, primo (slang), prize, prizewinning, quality, radical (slang), righteous (slang), sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping (chiefly British), unsurpassed, wizard (chiefly British), wonderful, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

  3. singled out from a number or group as more to one's liking

    "the restaurant offers a small but choice list of wines from some of Europe's finest viticultural regions"

    similar: cherry-picked, chosen, elect, favored, favorite, first-line, handpicked, picked, preferred, select, selected, of choice
    related: fashionable, exclusive, culled, picked over, screened, weeded (out), winnowed (out)
    near: average, common, commonplace, ordinary, run-of-the-mill

Related Entry: Of choice (phrase)

Of choice is a different word from Choice. The synonyms below are for of choice, not for choice.

  1. singled out from a number or group as more to one's liking

    "Orange soda is my soft drink of choice."

    similar: cherry-picked, choice, chosen, elect, favored, favorite, first-line, handpicked, picked, preferred, select, selected
    related: exclusive, culled, picked over, screened, weeded (out), winnowed (out)
    near: average, common, commonplace, ordinary, run-of-the-mill

Related Entry: Hobson's choice (noun)

Hobson's choice is a different word from Choice. The synonyms below are for Hobson's choice, not for choice.

  1. as in force, duty

    similar: coercion, duress, force, duty, obligation
    opposite: alternative, choice, discretion, druthers (dialect), election, liberty, option, pick, preference, selection, volition, way, determination, free will, will, say, voice, vote

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Choice

The most common words with a similar meaning to Choice:

Slang: boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous, gone, hype, out-of-sight, phat, primo, radical, righteous
Chiefly British: bonny, topping, wizard
Dialect: druthers
alternative, discretion, election, liberty, option, pick, preference, selection, volition, way, bet, chosen, A-list, aristocracy, best, corps d'elite, cream, crème de la crème, elect, elite, fat, flower, illuminati, pink, pride, priesthood, prime, royalty, upper crust, accord, autonomy, free will, self-determination, will, choosing, picking, selecting, cream of the crop, Hall of Fame, dainty

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Choice

Words with the opposite meaning of Choice:

atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched

Related Words for Choice

determination, say, voice, vote, inclination, liking, partiality, penchant, predilection, proclivity, propensity, tendency, discernment, judgment, perspicacity, like, elective, appointment, designation, nomination, appointee, candidate, nominee, selectee, preselection, establishment, gentry, nobility, society, top drawer

Near Antonyms of Choice

coercion, duress, force, duty, obligation, Hobson's choice, commoners, herd, hoi polloi, masses, millions, mob, multitude, rank and file, unwashed, compulsion, constraint, pressure, coarse, gross, kitsch, kitschy, lowbrow, raffish, rough, rough-hewn, tasteless, uncultivated, uncultured, unpolished

Word Forms of Choice

Inflections: choicer, choicest

Derived words: choicely (adverb), choiceness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Choice

Middle English chois, from Anglo-French, from choisir to choose, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German kiosan to choose choose

First known use: 13th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Choice

Words & Phrases Containing Choice

anti-choice, axiom of choice, fielder's choice, Hobson's choice, multiple-choice, of choice, pro-choice, sailor's-choice

Frequently Asked Questions about Choice

What does "Choice" mean?

"Choice" means the act of choosing, selection. As an a noun and an adjective, it is defined as: the act of choosing, selection. It has 8 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Choice"?

Other words for "Choice" include alternative, discretion, druthers, election, liberty, option, pick and preference. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Choice" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Choice"?

There are 223 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Choice". Common alternatives include alternative, discretion, druthers, election, liberty, option, pick, preference, selection and volition.

What is a slang word for "Choice"?

Slang words for "Choice" include boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous and gone.

What is the opposite of "Choice"?

Antonyms of "Choice" include atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten and terrible. Near antonyms include coercion, duress, force and duty.

How do you use "Choice" in a sentence?

Examples of "Choice" in a sentence: "you have no choice: you have to go to the conference"; "my choice for best song of all time"; "that school accepts only the choice of the city's crop of high school students".

Is "Choice" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Choice" can be used as a noun and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Choice" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Choice" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.