recombinant

adjective

re·​com·​bi·​nant (ˌ)rē-ˈkäm-bə-nənt 

1

: relating to or exhibiting genetic recombination

recombinant progeny

2

a

: relating to or containing genetically engineered DNA

b

: produced by genetic engineering

recombinant bovine growth hormone

recombinant noun

Examples of recombinant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It was convened in 1975 to discuss recombinant DNA, a then-new kind of genome editing. — Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026

Bio-Techne develops recombinant proteins used by researchers to study human diseases and develop drugs. — Sasirekha Subramanian, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

The new committee immediately urged researchers to stop some of the riskiest research on recombinant DNA. — Eva Amsen, JSTOR Daily, 11 June 2025

Adults aged 18 and older can receive a recombinant flu vaccine, which is produced without eggs, for people 18 years and older, and Americans aged 65 and older can opt for a higher dose due to their risk of severe illness. — Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing recombinant

• recombinant DNA

Medical Definition

recombinant

1 of 2 adjective

re·​com·​bi·​nant (ˈ)rē-ˈkäm-bə-nənt 

1

: relating to or exhibiting genetic recombination

recombinant progeny

2

a

: relating to or containing genetically engineered DNA

b

: produced by genetic engineering

recombinant bovine growth hormone

recombinant

2 of 2 noun

: an individual exhibiting recombination