genetic

play

adjective ge·net·ic \jə-ˈne-tik\

variants: or less commonly

genetical

play \jə-ˈne-ti-kəl\

Definition of genetic

1 : relating to or determined by the origin, development, or causal antecedents of something
2a : of, relating to, or involving geneticsb : of, relating to, caused by, or controlled by genes a genetic disease genetic variation

genetically

play \jə-ˈne-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See genetic defined for English-language learners

See genetic defined for kids

Examples of genetic in a Sentence

hemophilia and other genetic medical disorders

Recent Examples of genetic from the Web

And dads pass on more genetic mutations their children each year after age 30, according to a paper in Nature.

— suzannah weiss, Glamour, "Men Have Biological Clocks, Too — So Why Do We Only Talk About Women's?," 19 July 2017
Those who responded to the drug had more inflammation in their fat tissue and a different profile of genetic activity than non-responders.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Asthma drug shows potential benefit for Type 2 diabetics," 5 July 2017
Murphy and her two sisters decided to get tested for the genetic variations that can reflect a higher risk of the disease.

— megan friedman, Cosmopolitan, "Bachelor Alum Lesley Murphy Is Sharing Raw Photos of Her Double Mastectomy and Breast Implant Surgery," 5 July 2017
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Frances Isbell has spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disorder that has left her unable to walk or even roll over in bed.

— abby goodnough, New York Times, "For Millions, Life Without Medicaid Services Is No Option," 1 July 2017
Yet decoding the genetic origins of today’s horses has proven remarkably difficult.

— michael price, Science | AAAS, "Most modern horses came from just two ancient lineages," 29 June 2017
The sow is a genetic freak created in a lab, one of two-dozen hippopotamus-sized miracle pigs with skin like an elephant, floppy ears, understanding eyes, a wagging tail and nostrils that flare expressively.

— mark kennedy, chicagotribune.com, "'Okja' review: Message weighs down tale of giant GMO pig," 28 June 2017
Roche Group is starting a new test in heart patients with a particular genetic variation, Raffat noted.

— linda a. johnson, The Seattle Times, "Merck says new type of cholesterol drug worked in big study," 27 June 2017
Parents who have older children with eczema or other similar skin conditions might want to consider moisturizing their newborn’s skin because atopic dermatitis has a genetic component and runs in families.

— dr. leslie baumann, miamiherald, "Do newborns need moisturizer?," 26 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of genetic

genesis

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1750

See Words from the same year

Other Genetics Terms

chimera, hermaphrodite, plasticity

-genetic

adjective combining form ge·net·ic

Definition of -genetic

1 : -genic 1 organogenetic
2 : -genic 2 psychogenetic

GENETIC Defined for English Language Learners

genetic

play

adjective

Definition of genetic for English Language Learners

: of, relating to, or involving genes

GENETIC Defined for Kids

genetic

play

adjective ge·net·ic \jə-ˈne-tik\

Definition of genetic for Students

: of or relating to genes or genetics genetic research

Medical Dictionary

genetic

play

adjective ge·net·ic \jə-ˈnet-ik\

variants: also

genetical

\-i-kəl\play

Medical Definition of genetic

1: of, relating to, or involving genetics
2: of, relating to, caused by, or controlled by genes a genetic disease genetic material—compare acquired 1