Question

Is there a way to style the currently selected <option> element in a <select> element?

I could then give a background color to the currently selected option element? That way I can style the option that’s currently viewable in the closed dropdown.

Answer 1

the :checked pseudo-class initially applies to such elements that have the HTML4 selected and checked attributes

Source: w3.org

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So, this CSS works, although styling the color is not possible in every browser:

option:checked { color: red; }

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An example of this in action, hiding the currently selected item from the drop down list.

option:checked { display:none; }

<select>
    <option>A</option>
    <option>B</option>
    <option>C</option>
</select>

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To style the currently selected option in the closed dropdown as well, you could try reversing the logic:

select { color: red; }
option:not(:checked) { color: black; } /* or whatever your default style is */