congenital

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

Updated on: 16 May 2018

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

Born in June 2016 with a congenital heart defect, Madison underwent open heart surgery and was on the waiting list for a donor heart.

— kaelyn forde, Glamour, "What Women Who Have Experienced Loss Want to Hear on Mother's Day," 10 May 2018
The veterinarian diagnosed a congenital liver defect.

— special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Fate brings brother and sister kittens back together: Send us your pet rescue stories," 10 May 2018
The aquarium believes Latte may have had a congenital defect that caused a blockage in her esophagus, preventing blood from flowing from her abdomen to her heart, which in turn meant not enough oxygen was reaching her brain.

— ellen fishel, baltimoresun.com, "Rescued grey seal named Latte dies at National Aquarium," 2 May 2018
If undetected and untreated, congenital birth defects can lead to disability or infant death, according to the World Health Organization.

— molly sullivan, sacbee, "Pregnant moms can get a free 'Lyft' | The Sacramento Bee," 1 May 2018
Dillard is a senior at Cypress who has dealt with a number of health issues, from cerebral palsy to a congenital heart defect.

— eric sondheimer, latimes.com, "Baseball teams unite to let Cypress' Brent Dillard have his dream moment," 17 Apr. 2018
Their daughter, Linda, died at age 16 after surgery to correct a congenital heart defect.

— jacob bogage, Washington Post, "‘My friend was shot’: How an assassin’s bullets in Israel changed an NBA team’s name in D.C.," 14 Apr. 2018
Central Florida linebacker Shaq Griffin, with his congenital hand issue, is the feel-good story of the draft.

— profootballdoc, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Top 10 medical concerns in NFL draft," 26 Apr. 2018
Veteran lightweight and congenital amputee Nick Newell met with UFC officials this week in hopes of securing an octagon debut.

— mmajunkie, USA TODAY, "Amputee fighter Nick Newell will appear on 'Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series," 25 Apr. 2018

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! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1796

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

congenital Synonyms

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.