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

Fentanyl in street drugs is in some cases being mixed with or supplemented by dangerous alternatives, including the animal tranquilizer medetomidine and cychlorphine, an emergent synthetic opioid that carries an extreme risk of overdose. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026

Spread granular pre-emergent over the surface of moist soil, avoiding the plant and its base. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2026

Noun

The middle-generation experience, the bidirectional mourning that comes of being split between the vanishing and the emergent, preoccupies Transcription. —Nicholas Dames, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2026

Stanton’s disdain for immigrants led her into emergent realms of pseudoscience that would transform into eugenics; her rhetoric about women strayed from the principle of gender equality into essentialist ideas about women’s feminine specialness. —Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026

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