Eclectic comes from the Greek adjective eklektikos, meaning “picking out, selecting what appears to be best,” which in turn comes from the verb eklegein, meaning “to select.”

Methods, beliefs, ideas, etc. that are eclectic combine whatever seem the best or most useful things from many different areas or systems, rather than following a single system:

Eclectic definition: selecting or choosing from various sources.. See examples of ECLECTIC used in a sentence.

The English word eclectic first appeared in the seventeenth century to describe philosophers who did not belong to a particular school of thought, but instead assembled their doctrines by …

Definition of eclectic adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles: an eclectic taste in music; an eclectic approach to managing the economy.

An eclectic collection of objects, ideas, or beliefs is wide-ranging and comes from many different sources.

Factsheet What does the word eclectic mean? There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the word eclectic. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Jun 22, 2025 · eclectic (comparative more eclectic, superlative most eclectic) Selecting a mixture of what appears to be best of various doctrines, methods or styles. quotations

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English e‧clec‧tic1 /ɪˈklektɪk/ adjective including a mixture of many different things or people, especially so that you can use the best of all of …