emergent

1 of 2

adjective

emer·​gent i-ˈmər-jənt 

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

emergent

2 of 2

noun

1

: something emergent

2

a

: a tree that rises above the surrounding forest

b

: an emergent plant

Synonyms of emergent

Adjective

• urgent
• acute

Examples of emergent in a Sentence

Adjective

since the problem was not seen as emergent, implementation of the expensive solution for it was continually put off

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Yet their emergent/instinctive choices about when to engage AI and how much authority to give it produced fundamentally different collaboration dynamics. —François Candelon, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026

Over the last four months, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots both developed into credible title contenders with identical 14-3 records, built on strong defenses and emergent quarterback play. —Scott Phillips, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026

Noun

But behind that image of success and access, Kapoor’s emergent empire was in free fall. —Sarah Blaskey, Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025

Often opening a day’s entry with news of mass shootings, police brutality, and Donald Trump’s political rise, the book’s central character examines contemporary life’s horrors and indignities, and the still emergent technology that is exposing him to it all. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

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

First Known Use

Adjective

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Noun

1620, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing emergent

• emergent evolution

Rhymes for emergent

• convergent
• detergent
• divergent
• insurgent
• resurgent
• serjeant
• urgent

Medical Definition

emergent

adjective

emer·​gent i-ˈmər-jənt 

: calling for prompt or urgent action

an emergent condition in a hemophiliac