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
1
: something emergent
2
a
: a tree that rises above the surrounding forest
b
: an emergent plant
Synonyms
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
Clifford Young, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
And from Buena Park, Sarah Mosqueda dives into the Source OC, an entertainment and dining destination that’s become the center of Orange County’s emergent Koreatown.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
However, mismanagement and botched policies have ruined the island’s agriculture, and hardliners in government have blocked further market reforms to expand an emergent private sector.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
Others, such as Jason Wei, a computer scientist now at OpenAI who has compiled a list of emergent abilities and was an author on the BIG-bench paper, have argued that the earlier reports of emergence were sound because for abilities like arithmetic, the right answer really is all that matters.
—Stephen Ornes, WIRED, 24 Mar. 2024
The developers want players to explore and see the land and fall into emergent gameplay moments.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
These skills will allow students to thrive in workplaces fueled by emergent and advanced technologies.
—Elise Awwad, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Often, their conditions worsen, becoming more emergent and more painful.
—Rob Davidson, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024
While swim jigs work better in emergent vegetation like water willow.
—Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 6 Mar. 2024
Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
In both subjects, these gains also applied to Hispanic, African-American, white, emergent bilingual and special education students.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Feb. 2024
The Texans could look to upgrade at safety, offensive line and maybe obtain another receiver alongside emergent Nico Collins.
—Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2024
Whether the machines are doing emergent reasoning or following a recipe, their abilities create serious concerns about their real-world effects.
—David Berreby, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024
It was initially defined in terms of new directions in Black literature — Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston were emergent stars — and music, particularly jazz.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2024
Namely, data dependence, unpredictability, emergent behaviors, and universality.
—Haomiao Huang, Ars Technica, 30 Jan. 2023
To some, though, the college is the emergent bully.
—Danny Hakim, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2024
Users pioneer emergent behaviors; hack together work-arounds, many of which lead to new features; give platforms their cultural relevance; and provide the steady flood of engagement that Silicon Valley leaders can monetize.
—Taylor Lorenz, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2023
Adjective
And the emergent issue landscape today favors Biden.
—Clifford Young, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
And from Buena Park, Sarah Mosqueda dives into the Source OC, an entertainment and dining destination that’s become the center of Orange County’s emergent Koreatown.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
However, mismanagement and botched policies have ruined the island’s agriculture, and hardliners in government have blocked further market reforms to expand an emergent private sector.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
Others, such as Jason Wei, a computer scientist now at OpenAI who has compiled a list of emergent abilities and was an author on the BIG-bench paper, have argued that the earlier reports of emergence were sound because for abilities like arithmetic, the right answer really is all that matters.
—Stephen Ornes, WIRED, 24 Mar. 2024
The developers want players to explore and see the land and fall into emergent gameplay moments.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
These skills will allow students to thrive in workplaces fueled by emergent and advanced technologies.
—Elise Awwad, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Often, their conditions worsen, becoming more emergent and more painful.
—Rob Davidson, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024
While swim jigs work better in emergent vegetation like water willow.
—Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 6 Mar. 2024
Noun
The overall experience amounts to stumbling into town or across an emergent scenario and being given marching orders, rinse and repeat.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
In both subjects, these gains also applied to Hispanic, African-American, white, emergent bilingual and special education students.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Feb. 2024
The Texans could look to upgrade at safety, offensive line and maybe obtain another receiver alongside emergent Nico Collins.
—Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2024
Whether the machines are doing emergent reasoning or following a recipe, their abilities create serious concerns about their real-world effects.
—David Berreby, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024
It was initially defined in terms of new directions in Black literature — Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston were emergent stars — and music, particularly jazz.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2024
Namely, data dependence, unpredictability, emergent behaviors, and universality.
—Haomiao Huang, Ars Technica, 30 Jan. 2023
To some, though, the college is the emergent bully.
—Danny Hakim, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2024
Users pioneer emergent behaviors; hack together work-arounds, many of which lead to new features; give platforms their cultural relevance; and provide the steady flood of engagement that Silicon Valley leaders can monetize.
—Taylor Lorenz, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'emergent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing emergent
Dictionary Entries Near emergent
Cite this Entry
“Emergent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emergent. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Medical Definition
emergent
adjective
emer·gent
i-ˈmər-jənt
: calling for prompt or urgent action
an emergent condition in a hemophiliac
More from Merriam-Webster on emergent
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share