selective hearing
səˈlɛktɪv ˈhɪərɪŋ
Definition

Definition of selective hearing - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

1.
ignoring soundstendency to ignore certain sounds or information
  • He has selective hearing when it comes to chores.
selective attention
2.
focusing soundsability to focus on specific sounds in noisy environment
  • Selective hearing helps musicians pick out their own instrument in an orchestra.
Add a suggestion |

Expressions with selective

selective memoryn.
biased recollection of events favoring certain memories
Her selective memory only recalls the good times.
selective informationn.
information chosen to influence perception or decision-making
The report contained selective information to sway public opinion.
selective servicen.
system for selecting men for military service
He registered for selective service at eighteen.
selective attentionn.
focusing on a specific object or task
Selective attention helps students concentrate on their studies.
selective breedingn.
planned mating of organisms to increase preferred traits in future generations
Selective breeding produced cows that give more milk than their ancestors.
selective distributionn.
system where a producer sells goods only through chosen approved sellers
The luxury brand relied on selective distribution to protect its prestigious image.

Expressions with hearing

hard of hearingadj.
having difficulty hearing sounds clearly
She is hard of hearing and uses a hearing aid.
be hearing thingsv.
think you heard something that is not real
I thought I heard my name, but I must be hearing things.
gain a hearingv.
obtain an opportunity to be listened to
She worked hard to gain a hearing with the board.
give someone a hearingv.
listen to someone's case or opinion
The judge agreed to give the defendant a hearing.
hearing aidn.
small electronic device worn in or behind the ear
His hearing aid fits snugly behind his ear.
sense of hearingn.
ability to perceive sound through the ears
Her sense of hearing was exceptionally sharp.
within hearing distanceadv.
close enough to hear something
She stood within hearing distance and listened carefully.
hearing damagen.
harm to the ears or hearing that makes sounds harder to notice
Long exposure to loud music can cause permanent hearing damage.
hearing testn.
medical check that measures how well a person can hear sounds
The doctor scheduled a hearing test to find out why she missed conversations.
within hearingadv.
close enough to hear something
Please keep your voice down if you are within hearing.

Terms related to selective hearing

💡 Terms in the same lexical field: analogies, antonyms, common collocates, words with same roots, hypernyms…
hearselectattentionauditoryconcentrationfilteringfocushearinglisteningperception

Examples of selective hearing in a sentence

  • Kids often have selective hearing when told to clean up.
  • Selective hearing allows parents to ignore background noise while focusing on their child's voice.
  • In a crowded room, his selective hearing tuned into the conversation about sports.

View all translations of selective hearing

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
  1. French:écoute sélective, ...
  2. German:selektive Wahrnehmung, ...
  3. Italian:udito selettivo, ...
  4. Spanish:audición selectiva, escucha selectiva, ...
  5. Portuguese:ouvido seletivo, ...
  6. Chinese:选择性听力, 专注听力, ...
  7. Japanese:選択的聴覚, 特定の音を聞き取る能力, ...
  8. Arabic:سَمْع اِنْتِقَائِيّ, السَّمْع الاِنْتِقائِيّ, ...
  9. Hebrew:שְׁמִיעָה סֶלֶקְטִיבִית, ...
  10. Russian:избирательный слух, селективный слух, ...
  11. Ukrainian:вибірковий слух, фокусований слух, ...
  12. Hindi:चयनात्मक श्रवण, चयनित श्रवण, ...

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

Get more than a simple definition

Go from understanding to mastery

Helping millions of people and large organizations communicate more efficiently and precisely in all languages.
Products
Translate Text
Translate Documents
Translation in Context
Grammar Check
Synonyms
Conjugation
Free apps
Reverso for Mac/Windows
Reverso for iOS/Android
Reverso for Chrome/Edge
Offers
Reverso Premium
Reverso Corporate Translator
FAQ
|
Contact
|
About Reverso
|
Terms & Conditions
|
Privacy Settings
|
Privacy Policy
©2026 Reverso. All rights reserved.
English Chinese Dictionary|English Swedish Dictionary|English Romanian Dictionary|English Portuguese Dictionary|English Polish Dictionary|English Dutch Dictionary|English Korean Dictionary|English Japanese Dictionary|English Hebrew Dictionary|English Spanish Dictionary|English German Dictionary|English Arabic Dictionary|English Turkish Dictionary|English Russian Dictionary|English Italian Dictionary|English Ukrainian Dictionary|English French Dictionary|English Vietnamese Dictionary|English Bengali Dictionary|English Danish Dictionary|English Greek Dictionary|English Hindi Dictionary|English Brazilian Portuguese Dictionary|English Persian Dictionary|English Thai Dictionary|English Catalan Dictionary|English Czech Dictionary|English Hungarian Dictionary|English Khmer Dictionary