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

Inside those embryonic worlds, heat and pressure gave rise to more complexity—perhaps 250 distinct minerals, which fused to make the early Earth. — Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026

The researchers believe that small changes in the protein influence how cells twist during the earliest stages of embryonic development. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

In the past several years, researchers have mapped out the real topography of cell-state spaces — in effect, Waddington’s landscapes — from experimental data collected from many thousands of cells over the course of embryonic development. — Quanta Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026

By zooming in on the earliest stages of embryonic development in mice models, the researchers found that the hindbrain follows a separate, but parallel, developmental path than the forebrain. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 24 Sep. 2026

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 disk
• embryonic membrane

Rhymes for embryonic

• atonic
• benthonic
• bionic
• bosonic
• bubonic
• canonic
• carbonic
• cyclonic
• demonic
• dystonic
• hadronic
• harmonic

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