Deselection

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of reversing or canceling a previously made choice or selection
2. The process in which an item or option is intentionally not chosen or is taken out from a previously selected group
3. Removing something from a chosen set or stopping it from being included among selected options

Etymology: "Deselection" is built from the prefix "de-" and "selection," the latter ultimately from Latin "selectio," a choosing or picking out. The prefix "de-" carries the sense of reversal or removal, so the combination means, in effect, undoing a selection: taking something back out of a group that had already been chosen. The word is a plain formation rather than a coinage with a famous author, and its meaning follows directly from its parts. Its most common modern use is in politics and sport, where a candidate or player who has been chosen for a team, ballot, or shortlist is removed before the final stage. The sense is the same in each case: a choice made earlier is reversed. Because the word is transparent, readers can usually work out its meaning from the two halves alone.

Synonyms: removal, exclusion, rejection, disqualification, omission

Antonyms: selection, inclusion, acceptance, choice, admission