bioinformatics

noun

bio·​in·​for·​mat·​ics ˌbī-ō-in-fər-ˈma-tiks 

plural in form but singular in construction

: the collection, classification, storage, and analysis of biochemical and biological information using computers especially as applied to molecular genetics and genomics

bioinformatic

ˌbī-ō-in-fər-ˈma-tik 

adjective

Examples of bioinformatics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Using tools from bioinformatics and geochemistry, Lloyd, now at the University of Southern California, makes organisms visible that are doubly beyond our view — in terms of their microscopic size and their hard-to-reach locations. —Laura Poppick, Quanta Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025

Our region’s thriving life sciences industry will demand even greater expertise in lab automation, bioinformatics and regulatory compliance — fields that blend scientific knowledge with digital fluency. —Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bioinformatics

• electrostatics
• psychosomatics
• acrobatics
• aromatics
• automatics
• hydrostatics
• informatics
• kinematics
• mathematics
• numismatics
• problematics
• systematics

Medical Definition

bioinformatics

noun, plural in form but singular in construction

bio·​in·​for·​mat·​ics ˌbī-ō-ˌin-fər-ˈma-tiks 

: the collection, classification, storage, and analysis of biochemical and biological information using computers especially as applied in molecular genetics and genomics

One of the most basic operations in bioinformatics involves searching for similarities, or homologies, between a newly sequenced piece of DNA segments from various organisms.

—Ken Howard, Scientific American

bioinformatic

-tik 

adjective

bioinformatic analysis

bioinformatician

-ˌin-fər-mə-ˈti-shən 

noun

… hands off mounds of data to a bioinformatician who can correlate genetic differences with health problems, with the help of high-powered computing.

—Stephen T. Watson and Fred O. Williams, The Buffalo (New York) News

bioinformaticist

-ˌin-fər-ˈma-tə-sist 

noun

Others will be bioinformaticists, combining skills in biology and information technology to help gather and analyze data related to genetic mapping.

—Jeffry Steele, The Chicago Tribune