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"selective" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often discriminating (14 letters).
Definitions
tending to select; characterized by careful choice
Used in a sentence
“The selective algorithm excludes the redundant classifiers to construct a streamlined ensemble learning.”
“selective pressure”
“He's very selective and spent hours in the store choosing a new shirt.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Choosy”9 letters
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