embryonic

adjective

em·​bry·​on·​ic ˌem-brē-ˈä-nik 

1

: of or relating to an embryo

2

: being in an early stage of development : incipient, rudimentary

an embryonic plan

embryonically

ˌem-brē-ˈä-ni-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of embryonic in a Sentence

The tourism industry there is still in an embryonic stage.

Recent Examples on the Web

That, in turn, seems to affect early embryonic development — specifically, a decrease in neural crest cells that migrate throughout the body and go on to form features of the head and face and pigment cells that give fur its color. —Amanda Schupak, CNN Money, 24 Nov. 2025

Rishe believes some of this phase is a natural byproduct of an embryonic endeavor, and that best practices will emerge to enhance guardrails. —Kansas City Star, 14 Nov. 2025

That’s when a team of evolutionary biologists noticed that many of the physical traits that co-occur with domestication trace back to an important group of cells during embryonic development called neural crest cells. —Marina Wang, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2025

Blood vessels in the limb of an embryonic mouse. —Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin embryonicus, from embryon-, embryo embryo + Latin -icus -ic entry 1

First Known Use

1740, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing embryonic

• embryonic disc
• embryonic membrane

Rhymes for embryonic

• anharmonic
• anionic
• avionic
• catatonic
• cationic
• chorionic
• cosmogonic
• diachronic
• diatonic
• electronic
• excitonic
• fermionic

Kids Definition

embryonic

adjective

em·​bry·​on·​ic ˌem-brē-ˈän-ik 

1

: of or relating to an embryo

2

: being in an early stage of development

an embryonic plan

embryonically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

embryonic

adjective

em·​bry·​on·​ic ˌem-brē-ˈän-ik 

1

: of or relating to an embryo

2

: being in an early stage of development : incipient, rudimentary

embryonically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb