elected
elected — verb
1. if a group elects someone, that person wins an official role because enough peop
if a group elects someone, that person wins an official role because enough people voted for them
Christopher was elected class captain after promising longer library hours.
be elected + role after a vote
The town elected Noor mayor during a winter storm recovery.
Jiwoo was elected to the board by a narrow margin.
be elected to + position
Parents elected Meera chair of the school council.
- be elected mayor
- be elected president
- be elected to the board
- elected by voters
Grammar Patterns
elect + person + role
be elected + role
be elected to + position
Usage Note
This sense is about getting a role through voting. In active clauses, the role can follow the person directly: "They elected Meera chair." The passive pattern "be elected to + position" is also very common.
Common Mistakes
2. to decide that a particular action is the one you want to take
to decide that a particular action is the one you want to take
After the warning, Aoi elected to walk home before dark.
elect to + verb
The family elected not to sell the old bakery.
elect not to + verb
Sari elected to study at home while the cafe was noisy.
The surgeon elected to wait until the swelling went down.
- elect to wait
- elect to remain
- elect not to comment
- decline
to refuse a possible course of action
Grammar Patterns
elect to + verb
elect not to + verb
Usage Note
This is a formal writing sense and usually takes a to-infinitive. It suggests a deliberate choice after considering options, not a quick everyday decision.
Common Mistakes
elected — adjective
1. already picked in an election for a public role, but not yet working in it
already picked in an election for a public role, but not yet working in it
The elected governor will take office on the first of July.
elected + title before the person starts the job
Reporters followed the elected chair as she met senior staff.
The elected prime minister thanked volunteers before entering parliament.
An elected treasurer usually begins training before the handover meeting.
- elected president
- elected mayor
- elected chair
- elected treasurer
- outgoing
describes the person leaving the role
Grammar Patterns
elected + official title
elected + office holder
Usage Note
This sense describes the person who has won the vote but has not fully begun the role yet. Distinguish it from adjective sense 2, which describes offices or bodies that are created by election.
Common Mistakes
2. filled or controlled through public voting rather than private appointment
filled or controlled through public voting rather than private appointment
The country changed the post into an elected office in 1998.
elected + office for a post filled by voters
Only elected councils can approve changes to the village budget.
Residents wanted an elected school board instead of direct appointments.
The constitution created elected regional assemblies across the island.
- elected office
- elected council
- elected board
- elected assembly
- elective
institutional adjective that stresses being filled by election
- representative
suggests the body speaks for voters, not only how it was formed
- appointed
chosen by an authority rather than by voters
Grammar Patterns
elected + office
elected + council
elected + board
Usage Note
This sense usually describes offices, councils, boards, or assemblies. Distinguish it from adjective sense 1, which describes the individual who has won the vote.
Common Mistakes
3. picked with special care because only the finest or most suitable people or item
picked with special care because only the finest or most suitable people or items were wanted
The archive printed an elected group of letters from the war.
literary elected + group
Only elected singers joined the abbey choir for Easter.
The duke traveled with an elected band of guards.
This volume offers elected scenes from the earliest manuscripts.
- elected group
- elected band
- elected scenes
- random
not specially chosen for quality or suitability
Grammar Patterns
elected + group
elected + band
elected + scenes
Usage Note
This sense is rare and literary. Modern everyday English usually prefers "selected" for the same idea.
Common Mistakes
4. set apart by God to receive salvation or special grace
set apart by God to receive salvation or special grace
The preacher said the elected people must live with gratitude.
religious elected + people
In that theology, only elected believers are saved by grace.
The old hymn praises elected servants who stayed faithful.
Noa asked why elected children were called a special flock.
- elected people
- elected believers
- elected servants
- chosen
general religious term without the same formal tone
- predestined
focuses on divine choice decided in advance
Grammar Patterns
elected + people
elected + believers
elected + servants
Usage Note
This adjective appears mainly in theological writing. When the word stands alone as a noun, English more often uses the phrase "the elect"; see noun sense 2.
Common Mistakes
5. promised in marriage at a later time; engaged to wed
promised in marriage at a later time; engaged to wed
The elected bride arrived with her sisters before sunrise.
old-fashioned elected + bride
Hugo wrote a silver ring poem for his elected wife.
The elected couple spent spring apart until the ceremony day.
In the old play, the elected maiden waits beside the church gate.
- elected bride
- elected wife
- elected maiden
Grammar Patterns
elected + bride
elected + wife
elected + maiden
Usage Note
This sense is archaic and mostly found in older literary language. Modern English usually says "engaged" or "betrothed" instead.
Common Mistakes
elected — noun
1. people seen as a small privileged circle because they have unusual status, power
people seen as a small privileged circle because they have unusual status, power, or talent
Only the elect received seats near the stage at the gala.
the elect as a small exclusive group
The club was once seen as a playground for the elect.
To many villagers, the city school seemed reserved for the elect.
Rachid joked that the airport lounge was built for the elect.
- the elect
- among the elect
- for the elect
- elite
more common modern word for a powerful or privileged minority
- inner circle
focuses on a small trusted group around a leader or institution
- the masses
ordinary people as a large general group
Grammar Patterns
the elect
one of the elect
Usage Note
Usually used with the article "the". It often carries a critical tone, suggesting that a place or group is open only to an important minority.
2. people whom God has chosen, especially in Christian or biblical language
people whom God has chosen, especially in Christian or biblical language
The pastor reminded the elect to care for poorer neighbors.
the elect in religious writing
Ayana found the phrase the elect confusing in Bible study.
In the poem, the elect sing beside a river of light.
The elect were described as a people set apart for mercy.
- the elect
- among the elect
- one of the elect
- chosen people
plain-language phrase for those selected by God
- the faithful
broader religious term that does not always imply divine selection
Grammar Patterns
the elect
one of the elect
Usage Note
This noun belongs to theological language and is normally written as "the elect". Distinguish it from noun sense 1, which refers to a privileged secular group.
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
These words all involve getting someone into a role, but they do not work in the same situations. 'Elect' means people reach the decision by voting, usually for a public or official post. 'Appoint' means one person or a small authority chooses the person directly, without a public vote. 'Choose' is broader and can describe almost any selection, formal or informal. 'Vote in' is an everyday phrase close to 'elect', but it sounds less formal and is used more in speech or news summaries than in official writing.
Common collocations
Etymology
'Elected' is the past participle and adjective form of 'elect'. 'Elect' came into English through French and Latin, ultimately from the Latin verb 'eligere', meaning 'pick out' or 'choose'. Over time it became the usual English verb for choosing someone by vote, and the form 'elected' then developed both verb and adjective uses.