biological

adjective

variants: or less commonly biologic

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

Examples: biological in a Sentence

Definition of biological

1 : of or relating to biology or to life and living processes

2 : used in or produced by applied biology

3 : connected by direct genetic relationship rather than by adoption or marriage

her biological father

—

biologically

play \-ji-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See biological defined for English-language learners

See biological defined for kids

Examples of biological in a Sentence

the rights of the biological father in this case

Recent Examples of biological from the Web

The couple's biological children — who are 1 1/2 and 3 — and a 4-year-old were also in the apartment.

— elizabeth finny, miamiherald, "A child was found with bite marks. Now, a couple faces a first-degree murder charge.," 19 June 2018
Just in time for Father’s Day, the Chicago Tribune spoke with a man joining a small but growing club of single fathers having biological children via surrogacy.

— aubrey nagle, Philly.com, "Pa. baseball bat country in trouble, 'fair workweek' finds Council allies | Morning Newsletter," 14 June 2018
The social science in this case is at least as important as the biological.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: With at least 900 wolves in the state, it's time to gauge public attitudes again," 6 June 2018
Williams said Foster was close to all of his five biological children, who ranged in age from 9 to 15, but Foster also helped raise an 11-year-old girl as his own.

— marie simoneaux, NOLA.com, "Man killed after Mother's Day second-line was caring father of 5: brother," 16 May 2018
Among them were Kate and Jeremy Plants, who lost five embryos and their chance of having biological children in the incident.

— plain dealer staff, cleveland.com, "Families mourn at service for lost eggs and embryos (photos)," 12 May 2018
With the promise of developing drugs based on a new biological discovery, Escient Pharmaceuticals has raised $40 million, the San Diego startup said Wednesday.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego biotech startup Escient raises $40 million," 9 May 2018
The victims were Giammoda Miller's 12 and 14-year-old biological children, who are Rafaela Miller's stepchildren, officials said.

— nathan j. fish, azcentral, "Mesa father arrested on charges of abusing his children," 3 May 2018
No alien astronomer would doubt, looking at the amount of methane in Earth’s oxygen-rich air, that something odd and probably biological was going on there—for methane is rapidly converted by oxygen into carbon dioxide and water.

— The Economist, "Colonising the galaxy is hard. Why not send bacteria instead?," 12 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'biological.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of biological

1818

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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biological Synonyms

Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, phylogeny, substrate

BIOLOGICAL Defined for English Language Learners

biological

adjective

Definition of biological for English Language Learners

: of or relating to biology or to life and living things
: related through birth

BIOLOGICAL Defined for Kids

biological

adjective bi·o·log·i·cal \ ˌbī-ə-ˈlä-ji-kəl \

Definition of biological for Students

1 : of or relating to biology or to life and living things

biological activity

2 : related by birth

Medical Dictionary

biological

adjective

variants: also biologic

medical Definition of biological

1 : of or relating to biology or to life and living processes

2 : used in or produced by applied biology

3 : related by direct genetic relationship rather than by adoption or marriage

an adoptee who searched for years for her biological parents

—

biologically

play \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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See words that rhyme with biological Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for biological Nglish: Translation of biological for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of biological for Arabic speakers

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biological

Definition of biological

biologically

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BIOLOGICAL Defined for English Language Learners

biological

Definition of biological for English Language Learners

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biological

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biological

medical Definition of biological

biologically

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