biological

adjective

variants: or less commonly biologic

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

There, Purdue Northwest also highlighted plans to build a three-floor, 69,000-square-foot, $40.5 million Bioscience Innovation Building that will house nursing and biological sciences majors.

— meredith colias, Post-Tribune, "Purdue Northwest connects students to majors and clubs at welcome rally," 24 Aug. 2017
Brad Muhammad, who is in regular contact with his biological father, Brad Hyman, grew up in a loving family.

— walter villa, miamiherald, "Dumped from team for oversleeping, FIU football player is back with scholarship," 24 Aug. 2017
Nothing like a harmless potential crush on your biological aunt.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kit Harington Might've Hinted that Jon Snow Has a Crush on Daenerys," 31 July 2017
Her education includes degrees in biological science and science education.

— chuck gibson, Cincinnati.com, "Loveland couple turn over pottery management," 29 July 2017
So, iNaturalist isn’t quite a biological version of Shazam—the app that identifies songs.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "Finally: An App That Can Identify the Animal You Saw on Your Hike," 27 July 2017
Medical and educational researchers point to findings that adolescents' biological sleep cycles change during puberty, meaning their bodies are wired not to get sleepy until about 11 p.m.

— allison ross, The Courier-Journal, "Are JCPS, other districts starting too early for teens? Research may be a wake-up call," 19 July 2017
The treaty permits limited exploitation of biological resources but no exploitation of mineral resources.

— peter coy, Bloomberg.com, "The New Antarctic Iceberg Is Big Enough for Runways, Water Mines, and Crazy Dance Parties," 18 July 2017
Or maybe there's an unknown biological switch that's triggered by the chemicals in artificial sweeteners.

— cleve r. wootson jr., chicagotribune.com, "Diet drinks are associated with weight gain, new research suggests," 18 July 2017

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

biological Synonyms

Synonyms

natural (also biologic), birth, consanguineous

Antonyms

adopted, adoptive, nonbiological

Related Words

legitimate

Near Antonyms

illegitimate

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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First Known Use of biological

biological Synonyms

Synonyms

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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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