selective breeding
noun
: the process of modifying the characteristics of living things especially to enhance one or more desirable traits by selection in breeding controlled by humans
After about three years of selective breeding, their company, Cavendish Game Birds, was able to deliver quail that consistently dressed out to seven or eight ounces.—
Warren Schultz
Warren SchultzSelective breeding continues in an attempt to enhance the human use of this economic plant against a background of disappointingly low rubber content …—John M. Miller and Ralph A. Backhaus
John M. Miller and Ralph A. BackhausFixed through selective breeding, traits could vanish over several generations if people became careless in choosing their dogs' mates.—Mark Derr
Mark Derrcalled also artificial selection
Examples of selective breeding in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But decades of selective breeding—crossing only the largest plants—has created colossal varieties.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2024
In addition to the limitations imposed on their welfare by such confinement practices, the widespread use of selective breeding has an adverse impact on the well-being of tens of billions of animals each year.
—Miyun Park, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2012
Australian Wagyu, meanwhile, is considered more robust and distinctive, owing to a combination of selective breeding, innovative farming practices, and the unique Australian climate.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 12 July 2024
Remember, Paul is the product of years of selective breeding by the Bene Gesserit, and his mother jumped the gun on the secretive sisterhood’s plans by giving birth to a son instead of a daughter in the first place.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2024
Adaptation to climate change through selective breeding could mean revisiting the ancient varieties from which today’s commercial hops varieties were originally cloned, Bauerle said.
—Bill Morris, Discover Magazine, 27 Dec. 2023
Retrieving behavior in dogs is generally assumed to be the result of selective breeding and social tendencies rooted in their wolf origins.
—Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 14 Dec. 2023
Instead of 50 years of selective breeding, dogs have aquired their good behavior over centuries.
—Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 7 Dec. 2023
Yet these biological machines were partially designed for human needs (through selective breeding and genetic modification) and convert less useful inputs— like soybeans—into more useful ones, like delicious bacon cheeseburgers.
—Noah Gordon, The New Republic, 3 Oct. 2023
Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2024
In addition to the limitations imposed on their welfare by such confinement practices, the widespread use of selective breeding has an adverse impact on the well-being of tens of billions of animals each year.
—Miyun Park, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2012
Australian Wagyu, meanwhile, is considered more robust and distinctive, owing to a combination of selective breeding, innovative farming practices, and the unique Australian climate.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 12 July 2024
Remember, Paul is the product of years of selective breeding by the Bene Gesserit, and his mother jumped the gun on the secretive sisterhood’s plans by giving birth to a son instead of a daughter in the first place.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2024
Adaptation to climate change through selective breeding could mean revisiting the ancient varieties from which today’s commercial hops varieties were originally cloned, Bauerle said.
—Bill Morris, Discover Magazine, 27 Dec. 2023
Retrieving behavior in dogs is generally assumed to be the result of selective breeding and social tendencies rooted in their wolf origins.
—Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 14 Dec. 2023
Instead of 50 years of selective breeding, dogs have aquired their good behavior over centuries.
—Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 7 Dec. 2023
Yet these biological machines were partially designed for human needs (through selective breeding and genetic modification) and convert less useful inputs— like soybeans—into more useful ones, like delicious bacon cheeseburgers.
—Noah Gordon, The New Republic, 3 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'selective breeding.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Selective breeding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selective%20breeding. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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