choice

—choiceless, adj. —choicely, adv. —choiceness, n.

/choys/, n., adj., choicer, choicest.

n.

1. an act or instance of choosing; selection: Her choice of a computer was made after months of research. His parents were not happy with his choice of friends.

2. the right, power, or opportunity to choose; option: The child had no choice about going to school.

3. the person or thing chosen or eligible to be chosen: This book is my choice. He is one of many choices for the award.

4. an alternative: There is another choice.

5. an abundance or variety from which to choose: a wide choice of candidates.

6. something that is preferred or preferable to others; the best part of something: Mare's Nest is the choice in the sixth race.

7. a carefully selected supply: This restaurant has a fine choice of wines.

8. a choice grade of beef.

9. of choice, that is generally preferred: A detached house is still the home of choice.

adj.

10. worthy of being chosen; excellent; superior.

11. carefully selected: choice words.

12. (in the grading of beef in the U.S.) rated between prime and good.

[1250-1300; ME chois < OF, deriv. of choisir to perceive, choose < Gmc; see CHOOSE]

Syn. 2. CHOICE, ALTERNATIVE, OPTION, PREFERENCE all suggest the power of choosing between things. CHOICE implies the opportunity to choose: a choice of evils. ALTERNATIVE suggests that one has a choice between only two possibilities. It is often used with a negative to mean that there is no second possibility: to have no alternative. OPTION emphasizes free right or privilege of choosing: to exercise one's option. PREFERENCE applies to a choice based on liking or partiality: to state a preference. 10. select, rare, uncommon, valuable, precious. See fine¹.

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▪ philosophy

      in philosophy, a corollary of the proposition of free will—i.e., the ability voluntarily to decide to perform one of several possible acts or to avoid action entirely. An ethical choice involves ascribing qualities such as right or wrong, good or bad, better or worse to alternatives.

       determinism denies the reality of choice, because of a complete causal connectedness of motive and volition with physical, psychological, social, and even unconscious forces. Indeterminists insist, on the other hand, that human beings, however limited in choices, still are free to choose among alternatives and to put such choices into action. Thus volition (in this view) is, at least partly, independent of the strength of motivation, and itself determines which motive prevails.

      The existential attitude in philosophy emphasizes such freedom of choice as well as the necessity of having to choose. See also free will; determinism.

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