emergent

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adjective emer·gent \ i-ˈmər-jənt \

Definition of emergent

1 a :arising unexpectedly

b :calling for prompt action :urgent

emergent danger

2 a :rising out of or as if out of a fluid

emergent coastal islands

b :rooted in shallow water and having most of its vegetative growth above water

an emergent plant

3 :arising as a natural or logical consequence

4 :newly formed or prominent

emergent nations

See emergent defined for English-language learners

Examples of emergent in a Sentence

since it was not seen as an emergent problem, it was continually put off

Recent Examples of emergent from the Web

Just like the first game, Destiny 2 has been built with the hope that its fans keep logging in once the campaign is done to find emergent gameplay in the form of cooperative group combat, extra-hard special missions, and shots at rare loot.

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Destiny 2 finally feels like a game I might want to get hooked on," 24 Aug. 2017
Native American slaveholders didn’t shape and take advantage of emergent American capitalism to subdue a continent.

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, "The 1850s Response to the Racism of 2017," 16 Aug. 2017
Applying pre-emergent herbicides to prevent germination of winter weeds.

— neil sperry, star-telegram, "Brave the heat for these critical gardening tasks for the second half of August," 8 Aug. 2017
Several other members of Obama's team have waded into the emergent world of ride-hailing in recent years.

— faiz siddiqui, chicagotribune.com, "Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett joins Lyft board," 31 July 2017
Several other members of Obama’s team have waded into the emergent world of ride-hailing in recent years.

— faiz siddiqui, Washington Post, "Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett joins Lyft board," 31 July 2017
The masterstroke in casting comes with the series' emergent villain, a redneck heroin dealer played by Peter Mullan.

— corey atad, Esquire, "Netflix's Ozark Might Be Too Much Like Breaking Bad for Its Own Good," 24 July 2017
Fereydoun has acted as a key adviser to Rouhani, who is perceived as relatively moderate by Western nations and whose first term was marked by an emergent international outreach.

— shirzad bozorgmehr, CNN, "Brother of Iranian President Rouhani hospitalized after arrest," 17 July 2017
His first term was marked by an emergent international outreach, a move supported by then-US President Barack Obama.

— hilary clarke, CNN, "Iran accuses US of 'Iranophobia', 'warmongering' after Trump's Saudi visit," 22 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'emergent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of emergent

Middle English, from Latin emergent-, emergens, present participle of emergere

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First Known Use: 1593

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emergent Synonyms

Synonyms

burning, clamant, compelling, critical, crying, dire, acute, exigent, imperative, imperious, importunate, instant, necessitous, pressing, urgent

Antonyms

noncritical, nonurgent

Related Words

demanding, extreme, immediate, insistent, intense, overriding; crucial, desperate, grave, life-and-death (also life-or-death), serious, severe, vital; dangerous, explosive, hazardous, perilous, precarious, unstable

Near Antonyms

incidental, low-pressure, minor, negligible, trivial, unimportant; nonthreatening, safe, stable

emergent

noun

Definition of emergent

1 :something emergent

2 a :a tree that rises above the surrounding forest

b :an emergent plant

First Known Use of emergent

1620

Other Seed Plant Terms

aubergine, box, bramble, briar, composite, perpetual, pulse, trefoil

Medical Dictionary

emergent

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adjective emer·gent \ i-ˈmər-jənt \

medical Definition of emergent

:calling for prompt or urgent action

an emergent condition in a hemophiliac

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emergent

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