heterozygous

adjective

het·​ero·​zy·​gous ˌhe-tə-rō-ˈzī-gəs 

: having the two alleles at corresponding loci on homologous chromosomes different for one or more loci

Examples of heterozygous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The thief got away with his founding albino male as well as females that were heterozygous for the trait. — Rebecca Giggs, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024

That’s because apples happen to be extremely heterozygous, meaning that just one tree can produce an incredible variation in offspring, leaving no two apple trees the same. — Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Dec. 2023

The 10 patients in this Phase 1 trial had heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic disease that causes high levels of bad cholesterol and advanced heart disease. — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 13 Nov. 2023

Verve's research was limited to people with a genetic condition called heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, in which cholesterol levels are sky-high from birth. — Erika Edwards, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heterozygous

• homozygous

Kids Definition

heterozygous

adjective

het·​ero·​zy·​gous ˌhet-ə-rō-ˈzī-ˌgəs 

: having at least one gene pair that contains different genes

a pea plant heterozygous for seed color

Medical Definition

heterozygous

adjective

het·​ero·​zy·​gous -gəs 

: having the two genes at corresponding loci on homologous chromosomes different for one or more loci compare homozygous