[adjective] [not gradable] [formal]an elective office (= chosen by voting)elective politics/democracy (= based on voting)elective (= chosen but not necessary) surgery(UK disapproving) An elective dictatorship is a government which is elected but which has won so many votes that it can do what it likes.
ELECTIVE
Meaning of ELECTIVE in English
Cambridge English vocab. Кембриджский английский словарь. 2012