genetic

adjective

ge·net·ic | \jə-ˈne-tik

variants: or less commonly genetical \jə-ˈne-ti-kəl

Definition of genetic

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : relating to or determined by the origin, development, or causal antecedents of something

2a : of, relating to, or involving genetics

b : of, relating to, caused by, or controlled by genes a genetic disease genetic variation

-genetic

adjective combining form

Definition of -genetic (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : -genic sense 1 organogenetic

2 : -genic sense 2 psychogenetic

Other Words from genetic Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about genetic

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Synonyms & Antonyms for genetic

Synonyms: Adjective

hereditary, heritable, inborn, inheritable, inherited

Antonyms: Adjective

nonhereditary

Examples of genetic in a Sentence

Adjective

hemophilia and other genetic medical disorders

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

What if this kind of deadly infection turns out to be, well, genetic? — Claudia Wallis, Scientific American, "Extreme Flu? Weird Encephalitis? It May Be Your Genes," 13 July 2018 With ovarian cancer in particular, genetics play a huge role, and about 25% of ovarian cancers are genetic. — refinery29.com, "Johnson & Johnson Owes $4.69 Billion In Another Ovarian Cancer Case," 13 July 2018 Even newborn babies prefer attractive to nonattractive faces, which means lookism may be genetic, said Michael Cunningham, a psychologist and expert on the dynamics of attraction at the University of Louisville. — Alfred Lubrano, Philly.com, "After complaints, Ratemyprofessors.com does away with its 'hotness' ratings," 11 July 2018 You can be born into a funny family, which some people might assume is genetic. — Brendan Leonard, Outside Online, "Learning to Be Funny," 9 July 2018 Falkowski has had several eye surgeries after being diagnosed with Fuchs’ dystrophy, a genetic disorder of the cornea that has left him legally blind in one eye, his attorney said. — Kelly Brennan, Philly.com, "Former QVC exec gets 30 months in prison for bilking $1M from network," 10 July 2018 Just after her second birthday, additional testing, including an MRI of her brain and spine followed by a genetic analysis, revealed that our daughter had metachromatic leukodystrophy. — Vibhav Rangarajan, STAT, "The ‘cruel joke’ of compassionate use and right to try: Pharma companies don’t have to comply," 5 June 2018 The group's genetic analysis of the conundrum was reported in Science. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Plants repeatedly got rid of their ability to obtain their own nitrogen," 27 May 2018 Tamara Bibbs Bloom Trail High School, Steger Bibbs, of Ford Heights, who has Anthrogryposis, a rare genetic disorder that has destroyed her muscles, joints and tendons, never let her physical disability get in her way. — Donna Vickroy And Susan Demar Lafferty, Daily Southtown, "Class of 2018: A look at some of the Southland's extraordinary high school graduates," 19 May 2018

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.