singling
Choosing just one
Singling is the act of selecting one from among many: They're singling out candidates for interviews.
In agriculture, singling means thinning seedlings to leave only the strongest plants.
The word almost always appears with "out"—to single out is to distinguish or isolate someone or something for special attention, whether positive singled out for praise or negative singled out for criticism.
Selecting from alternatives
- pickingAct of selecting
- handpickingSelecting carefully, individually
- selectingPicking from options
- identifyingDetermining what something is
targeting · nominating · designating · culling · sorting · sifting · curating · earmarking
Dividing into parts
- setting apartDesignating as special
- excludingLeaving something out
- quarantiningRestricting contact during illness
- segregatingSeparating by category
ostracizing · alienating · detaching · partitioning · secluding · sequestering · cordoning · removing
Emphasizing key parts
- featuringPresenting as highlight
- showcasingPresenting something prominently
- emphasizingGiving special importance to
- accentuatingStressing for emphasis
underscoring · foregrounding · promoting · elevating · pointing out · centering · profiling
Selecting as objective
- profilingCharacterizing by patterns
- stereotypingOversimplified group-based judgments
- prejudicingInfluencing unfairly beforehand
- typecastingAssigning actors similar roles
labeling · scapegoating · marginalizing · victimizing · persecuting · excluding · othering · biasing
choosing
Selecting from alternatives
- pickingAct of selecting
- handpickingSelecting carefully, individually
- selectingPicking from options
identifying · targeting · nominating · designating · culling · sorting · sifting · curating · earmarking · pinpointing
separating
Dividing into parts
- setting apartDesignating as special
- excludingLeaving something out
- quarantiningRestricting contact during illness
segregating · ostracizing · alienating · detaching · partitioning · secluding · sequestering · cordoning · removing · extracting
highlighting
Emphasizing key parts
- featuringPresenting as highlight
- showcasingPresenting something prominently
- emphasizingGiving special importance to
accentuating · underscoring · foregrounding · promoting · elevating · pointing out · centering · profiling
targeting
Selecting as objective
- profilingCharacterizing by patterns
- stereotypingOversimplified group-based judgments
- prejudicingInfluencing unfairly beforehand
typecasting · labeling · scapegoating · marginalizing · victimizing · persecuting · excluding · othering · biasing
- sheepdog trialssheepdog, sheepdog trials, herding, handler, outrun
singlinggrouping
Arrangement by shared traits
aggregating · combining · bunching · clustering · massing
- singling outSelecting one from many
single, singular, singles, singled, singleness, singularity, single out