cryonics
noun
cry·on·ics
krī-ˈä-niks 
plural in form but usually singular in construction
: the practice of freezing a person who has died of a disease in hopes of restoring life at some future time when a cure for the disease has been developed
Examples of cryonics in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the most immediate medical application is in the field of cryonics — freezing organs for transplantation.
—
Holly Barker, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2022
Bradford was wary of going public with his curiosity, fearing he'd be branded a crank for suggesting astronauts be put on ice—a concept uncomfortably similar to the one touted by the dubious cryonics industry.
—Brendan I. Koerner, WIRED, 24 Nov. 2022
Correspondent Luke Burbank visits the Alcor Corporation, where some very patient patients are being held for an uncertain future, and talks with a neuroethicist about the lethal and moral propriety of cryonics.
—CBS News, 24 Nov. 2021
But scientists have criticized the cryonics industry – and researchers say the theory is based on faith, not science.
—Mckenzie Sadeghi, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2021
An article last Sunday about the cryonics industry misspelled the name of a Russian cryopreservation company.
—New York Times, 3 July 2021
The litigious bent in the United States make its cryonics firms especially twitchy.
—New York Times, 26 June 2021
There have been many lawsuits by relatives of the deceased trying to stop the expensive cryonics procedure.
—New York Times, 26 June 2021
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Holly Barker, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2022
Bradford was wary of going public with his curiosity, fearing he'd be branded a crank for suggesting astronauts be put on ice—a concept uncomfortably similar to the one touted by the dubious cryonics industry.
—Brendan I. Koerner, WIRED, 24 Nov. 2022
Correspondent Luke Burbank visits the Alcor Corporation, where some very patient patients are being held for an uncertain future, and talks with a neuroethicist about the lethal and moral propriety of cryonics.
—CBS News, 24 Nov. 2021
But scientists have criticized the cryonics industry – and researchers say the theory is based on faith, not science.
—Mckenzie Sadeghi, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2021
An article last Sunday about the cryonics industry misspelled the name of a Russian cryopreservation company.
—New York Times, 3 July 2021
The litigious bent in the United States make its cryonics firms especially twitchy.
—New York Times, 26 June 2021
There have been many lawsuits by relatives of the deceased trying to stop the expensive cryonics procedure.
—New York Times, 26 June 2021
Cite this Entry
“Cryonics.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cryonics. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
cryonics
noun, plural in form but usually singular in construction
cry·on·ics
krī-ˈän-iks
: the practice of freezing the body of a person who has died from a disease in hopes of restoring life at some future time when a cure for the disease has been developed
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