bioethics

noun, plural in form but singular in construction

bio·​eth·​ics ˌbi-(ˌ)ō-ˈe-thiks How to pronounce bioethics (audio)
: a discipline dealing with the ethical implications of biological research and applications especially in medicine
bioethical adjective
bioethicist noun

Examples of bioethics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That's when his wife, Christine — who's the chief of the department of bioethics at the National Institutes of Health — stepped in. Nicole Wetsman, ABC News, 13 Dec. 2022 If there is a 25-year-old cancer patient and a 60-year-old in good health, the hospital might choose the 60-year-old, said Arthur Caplan, professor of bioethics at the Grossman School of Medicine at New York University. Joel Shurkin, Discover Magazine, 2 Apr. 2020 Rosemary Gibson, a senior adviser at the Hastings Center, a bioethics think-tank. Richard Vanderford, WSJ, 30 Nov. 2022 Seago, who has a doctorate in bioethics, said new legislation would probably be introduced to combat the new practices. Pam Belluck, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Sep. 2022 Columbia Pictures Genetic manipulation might have seemed like sci-fi in 1997, but now the questions are actual concerns in bioethics. Josh St. Clair, Men's Health, 18 Aug. 2022 So, to the answer those questions, The Salt Lake Tribune read through Utah Code and interviewed Leslie Francis, an expert in health law and bioethics at the University of Utah. Becky Jacobs, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 July 2022 If Roe was struck down, that would clear the way for Utah’s trigger law to go into effect, according to Collings and Leslie Francis, an expert in health law and bioethics at the University of Utah. Becky Jacobs, The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 June 2022 Many of the procedures and medications used to perform abortions in the U.S. are also crucial for treating miscarriages, Seema Mohapatra, a health law and bioethics expert at Southern Methodist University, told Forbes. Robert Hart, Forbes, 24 June 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bioethics.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bioethics was in 1970

Dictionary Entries Near bioethics

Cite this Entry

“Bioethics.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bioethics. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

bioethics

noun, plural in form but singular in construction
bio·​eth·​ics -ˈeth-iks How to pronounce bioethics (audio)
: the discipline dealing with the ethical implications of biological research and applications especially in medicine
bioethic noun
bioethical adjective

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