open-pollinated
adjective
open-pol·li·nat·ed
ˌō-pən-ˈpä-lə-ˌnā-təd 
: pollinated by natural agencies (such as wind or insects) without human intervention
Examples of open-pollinated in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Reputable exchanges encourage transparency about how and when seeds were collected, whether plants were open-pollinated, and how they were stored.
—
Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Jan. 2026
Seeds are either open-pollinated or hybrids.
—Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
With a diversity of crops and an impressive depth of choices within each, this year’s Exchange adds up to more than 14,000 unique plant varieties on offer — each of them open-pollinated, which unlike hybrids will produce offspring identical to the parent plant.
—Margaret Roach, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025
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Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Jan. 2026
Seeds are either open-pollinated or hybrids.
—Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
With a diversity of crops and an impressive depth of choices within each, this year’s Exchange adds up to more than 14,000 unique plant varieties on offer — each of them open-pollinated, which unlike hybrids will produce offspring identical to the parent plant.
—Margaret Roach, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Open-pollinated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open-pollinated. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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