Chosen means selected from among several options, picked for a particular purpose or role. When a teacher chooses you to lead a group project, you've been chosen for that responsibility. When a basketball coach picks the starting lineup, those players are the chosen five who will begin the game.

The word often carries a sense of being specially selected. Being chosen suggests that someone saw something valuable in you: your skills, your potential, or your character. A student chosen to represent the school at a science fair wasn't picked randomly but because of their excellent work.

Sometimes chosen describes picking something rather than someone. You might describe chocolate as your chosen ice cream flavor, or soccer as your chosen sport.

The phrase “the chosen one” appears frequently in stories and mythology, referring to a person destined for a special mission or blessed with unique abilities. In real life, though, success doesn't depend only on being chosen by others. Achievements also come from choosing your own path and working steadily toward your goals, whether or not anyone selected you for anything special.