facultative

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Fascinatingly, we found that the obligately agamospermous Balanophora species were all island species -- and we speculate that more Balanophora species may be facultative, or even obligate, agamosperms."

From Science Daily • Dec. 20, 2025

However, there remain many unknowns about parthenogenesis, particularly the form known as facultative parthenogenesis, which is quite rare and only happens in animals that sexually reproduce.

From Salon • Jul. 28, 2023

Some species, termed facultative parthenogens, alternate between sexual and asexual reproduction.

From Scientific American • Jun. 9, 2023

Animals that exhibit facultative migration can choose to migrate or not.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

—Some fungi, though able to live as saprophytes, occasionally enter the body of living plants, and are thus termed facultative parasites.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various