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.” ECLECTIC definition: selecting or choosing from various sources. See examples of eclectic used in a sentence. Methods, beliefs, ideas, etc.

Understanding the Context

that are eclectic combine whatever seem the best or most useful things from many different areas or systems, rather than following a single system: Definition of eclectic adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. not following one style or set of ideas but choosing from or using a wide variety. She has very eclectic tastes in literature. His house is an eclectic mixture of the antique and the modern.

Key Insights

An eclectic collection of objects, ideas, or beliefs is wide-ranging and comes from many different sources. 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. 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 picking and choosing from a variety of philosophical systems. Adjective eclectic (comparative more eclectic, superlative most eclectic) Selecting a mixture of what appears to be best of various doctrines, methods or styles.