congenital

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adjective con·gen·i·tal \ kən-ˈje-nə-tᵊl , kän- \

Definition of congenital

1 a :existing at or dating from birth

congenital deafness

b :constituting an essential characteristic :inherent

congenital fear of snakes

c :acquired during development in the uterus and not through heredity

congenital syphilis

2 :being such by nature

a congenital liar

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congenitally

play \kən-ˈje-nə-tᵊl-ē, kän-\ adverb

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Examples of congenital in a Sentence

The irregularity in my backbone is probably congenital.
a congenital liar who couldn't speak the truth if his life depended on it

Recent Examples of congenital from the Web

Congenital syphilis can cause deformed bones in newborns.

— author: jan hoffman, Alaska Dispatch News, "Hunting a killer in Oklahoma: Sex, drugs and the return of syphilis," 25 Aug. 2017
And a great example of tennis’ congenital dysfunction.

— jon wertheim, SI.com, "Mailbag: Injuries Will Be Common Theme at U.S. Open, But What's To Blame?," 23 Aug. 2017
A Baylor College of Medicine review found that children's chances of having any of 86 congenital problems are 1 in 50 on average but rise to 1 in 42 when their dads are 40 or over.

— suzannah weiss, Glamour, "Men Have Biological Clocks, Too — So Why Do We Only Talk About Women's?," 19 July 2017
Today, King is one of more than 1,000 adults being treated at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center for congenital heart disease.

— lara korte, Cincinnati.com, "Adults with congenital heart disease find medical home at Cincinnati Children's," 13 July 2017
Nearly 40% involved HIV/AIDS, followed by, in descending order: developmental biology; eye development and disease; other infectious diseases like hepatitis C; miscellaneous; and in utero diseases, toxic exposures, and congenital conditions.

— meredith wadman, Science | AAAS, "House Republicans move to bar funding for NIH fetal tissue research," 13 July 2017
Christy Judd's 8-year-old son, Ethan, has a congenital neuromuscular disease and needs a ventilator to breathe at night.

— chicagotribune.com, "Senate GOP effort to shield disabled from Medicaid changes would leave many kids on the outside," 9 July 2017
Of course, politicians being congenital whiners, the CBO takes its share of abuse.

— michelle cottle, The Atlantic, "Why Lawmakers Need the Congressional Budget Office," 9 July 2017
Christy Judd’s 8-year-old son, Ethan, has a congenital neuromuscular disease and needs a ventilator to breathe at night.

— Washington Post, "Senate GOP effort to shield disabled from Medicaid changes would leave many kids on the outside," 9 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of congenital

Latin congenitus, from com- + genitus, past participle of gignere to bring forth — more at kin

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First Known Use: 1796

See Words from the same year

congenital Synonyms

Synonyms

born, natural

Antonyms

nonnatural

Related Words

chronic, confirmed, habitual, incorrigible, ingrained (also engrained), inveterate, proper, regular, unreconstructed, unregenerate; constitutional, consummate; elemental, elementary, essential; connate, hereditary, inborn, inherent, innate, intimate, intrinsic, native; instinctual, intuitive

Near Antonyms

cultivated, developed, trained; alien, foreign, unnatural

Synonym Discussion of congenital

innate, inborn, inbred, congenital, hereditary mean not acquired after birth. innate applies to qualities or characteristics that are part of one's inner essential nature.

- an innate sense of fair play

inborn suggests a quality or tendency either actually present at birth or so marked and deep-seated as to seem so.

- her inborn love of nature

inbred suggests something either acquired from parents by heredity or so deeply rooted and ingrained as to seem acquired in that way.

- inbred political loyalties

congenital and hereditary refer to what is acquired before or at birth, the former to things acquired during fetal development and the latter to things transmitted from one's ancestors.