pharmacogenetics

noun

phar·​ma·​co·​ge·​net·​ics ˌfär-mə-kō-je-ˈne-tiks How to pronounce pharmacogenetics (audio)
plural in form but singular in construction
: the study of how genetic differences among individuals cause varied responses to a drug

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Wojcicki said the company will train Lemonaid doctors in how to integrate genetic risk reports and pharmacogenetics into care. Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2021 Wojcicki said the company will train Lemonaid doctors in how to integrate genetic risk reports and pharmacogenetics into care. Fortune, 22 Oct. 2021 Researchers of pharmacogenetics — the science that studies how genetic factors affect reactions to drugs — stress that medicine could produce different results based on race and genetic, socioeconomic and environmental dynamics. NBC News, 17 June 2020

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

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pharmacogenetics was in 1960

Dictionary Entries Near pharmacogenetics

Cite this Entry

“Pharmacogenetics.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pharmacogenetics. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Medical Definition

pharmacogenetics

noun, plural in form but singular in construction
phar·​ma·​co·​ge·​net·​ics -jə-ˈnet-iks How to pronounce pharmacogenetics (audio)
: the study of how genetic differences among individuals cause varied responses to a drug
The major development that is helping to individualize therapy is the continuing advance of pharmacogenetics and its application to clinical problems.Marcus M. Reidenberg, The Journal of the American Medical Association
pharmacogenetic adjective
pharmacogenetic tests
pharmacogenetic variation
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