congenital

play

adjective con·gen·i·tal \kən-ˈje-nə-t^əl, kän-\

Definition of congenital

1a : existing at or dating from birth congenital deafnessb : constituting an essential characteristic : inherent congenital fear of snakesc : acquired during development in the uterus and not through heredity congenital syphilis
2 : being such by nature a congenital liar

congenitally

play \kən-ˈje-nə-t^əl-ē, kän-\ adverb

See congenital defined for English-language learners

See congenital defined for kids

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

He was born with nine congenital heart defects, two left lungs, and five spleens.

— lindsey lanquist, SELF, "A Mom Shared Her Health Care Bill to Show How Vital Health Insurance Is", 30 June 2017
Such congenital sourness must be a terrible burden—

— joe klein, Daily Intelligencer, "Bush at War", 30 June 2017
But there’s also a healthy fear of the risk associated with his congenital neck/spine condition.

— albert breer, The MMQB, "The John Dorsey Dismissal: Where It Went Wrong in K.C.", 29 June 2017
After a breakout season in 2016, Orr, 25, announced in January his retirement from the NFL after just three seasons because of a rare congenital spine condition.

— staff reports, baltimoresun.com, "Former Ravens linebacker Zach Orr to attempt comeback", 28 June 2017
Today, congenital heart disease survivors can live well past childhood.

— kerry klein, Kaiser Health News, "Survivors Of Childhood Diseases Struggle To Find Care As Adults", 22 June 2017
Actually, these stories are probably referring to people who suffer from werewolf syndrome, or congenital hypertrichosis lanuginosa (CHL)

— dr. manny alvarez, Fox News, "Does 'Werewolf Syndrome' actually exist?", 20 June 2017
Babies born with congenital Zika syndrome often have severe microcephaly, diminished brain tissue and eye damage, as well as restricted joint movement and rigid muscle tone.

— jonel aleccia, The Seattle Times, "In Lacey, a Washington mom grapples with baby’s Zika-caused birth defects", 18 June 2017
CHICAGO -- A third-grader who was born with a life threatening congenital heart issue has had his dreams come true.

— CBS News, "Boy becomes super hero for a day, saves Chicago", 16 June 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

NEW!

First Known Use: 1796

See Words from the same year

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. a congenital heart murmur eye color is hereditary

Other Genetics Terms

chimera, hermaphrodite, plasticity

CONGENITAL Defined for English Language Learners

congenital

play

adjective

Definition of congenital for English Language Learners

: existing since birth
: naturally having a specified character

Medical Dictionary

congenital

play

adjective con·gen·i·tal \kän-ˈjen-ə-t^əl\

Medical Definition of congenital

1: existing at or dating from birth congenital deafness
2: acquired during development in the uterus and not through heredity congenital syphilis—compare acquired 1, familial, hereditary