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biological

adjective
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bi·​o·​log·​i·​cal | \ ˌbī-ə-ˈlä-ji-kəl How to pronounce biological (audio) \
variants: or less commonly biologic \ ˌbī-​ə-​ˈlä-​jik How to pronounce biologic (audio) \

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
Other Words from biological Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about biological

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Other Words from biological

biologically \ ˌbī-​ə-​ˈlä-​ji-​k(ə-​)lē How to pronounce biologically (audio) \ adverb

Synonyms & Antonyms for biological

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Examples of biological in a Sentence

the rights of the biological father in this case
Recent Examples on the Web Joshua Weitz, a professor of biological sciences at Georgia Tech and the lead developer of the COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool, collaborated with fellow professor Clio Andris to develop it. — Annie Vainshtein, SFChronicle.com, "If 25 people gather in SF, odds are 34% that at least one has coronavirus: New tool shows risk," 5 Aug. 2020 Amy harbored no illusions that her biological father would fill that role. — Caitlin Harrington, Wired, "There's No Such Thing as Family Secrets in the Age of 23andMe," 30 July 2020 The child's biological father, 35-year-old Daniel Lee West, of Ellijay, Georgia, is now seeking custody of the child while the search for the missing woman continues. — Jeff Truesdell, PEOPLE.com, "Truck of Missing Ga. Mom Is Found After Her Toddler Is Seen Wandering Alone in Florida," 30 July 2020 These consist of water, mucus protein and other biological material and are all larger than 1 micron. — Eric Litke, USA TODAY, "Fact check: No, N95 filters are not too large to stop COVID-19 particles," 12 June 2020 Researchers used mass spectrometry to analyze patients’ proteomes, or sets of proteins, in biological material. — Fox News, "Protein biomarkers in COVID-19 patients' blood could predict disease severity and save lives, study says," 11 June 2020 To track down ancient microbes on Earth, geobiologists look for patterns in rock formations that could only have been formed by biological processes. — Daniel Oberhaus, Wired, "Will We Recognize Life on Mars When We See It?," 9 July 2020 This bureaucratic delay exists on top of the natural biological processes of illness, says Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. — Carrie Arnold, National Geographic, "How scientists know COVID-19 is way deadlier than the flu," 2 July 2020 Several Congressional Democrats have signed a letter demanding that biological males be allowed to participate in girls sports. — Andrew Mark Miller, Washington Examiner, "Congressional Democrats sign letter to Education Department demanding biological men be allowed to compete in female sports," 18 June 2020

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.

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First Known Use of biological

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Time Traveler for biological

Time Traveler

The first known use of biological was in 1818

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Statistics for biological

Last Updated

8 Aug 2020

Cite this Entry

“Biological.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biological. Accessed 10 Aug. 2020.

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More Definitions for biological

biological

adjective
How to pronounce biological (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of biological

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

See the full definition for biological in the English Language Learners Dictionary

biological

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

Kids Definition of biological

1 : of or relating to biology or to life and living things biological activity
2 : related by birth

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

Other Words from biological

biologically \ -​i-​k(ə-​)lē How to pronounce biologically (audio) \ adverb

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More from Merriam-Webster on biological

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for biological

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with biological

Nglish: Translation of biological for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of biological for Arabic Speakers

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