as in self-sufficient
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Recent Examples of altricial
Plenty of other creatures give birth even sooner, yielding offspring in a more altricial state.
—
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Oct. 2022
Robins, bluebirds, hummingbirds and many other birds are altricial.
—Jim Robbins, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2022
If birds are born altricial — helpless — clutches tend to be small to accommodate the higher level of care the babies must receive.
—Jim Williams, Star Tribune, 29 June 2021
That’s because both marmosets and humans have altricial babies, from the Latin for needing nourishment—meaning offspring that can’t take care of themselves even a tiny bit at the beginning.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 27 Oct. 2020
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Oct. 2022
Robins, bluebirds, hummingbirds and many other birds are altricial.
—Jim Robbins, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2022
If birds are born altricial — helpless — clutches tend to be small to accommodate the higher level of care the babies must receive.
—Jim Williams, Star Tribune, 29 June 2021
That’s because both marmosets and humans have altricial babies, from the Latin for needing nourishment—meaning offspring that can’t take care of themselves even a tiny bit at the beginning.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 27 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for altricial
Adjective
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Ultimately, Candice views hunting as a way teach her kids where their food comes from and how to be a little more self-sufficient.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Frost is, by reputation, perhaps the foremost poet of rural, non-coastal New England — of birches and apple trees, of forests blanketed in snow, of pastures sliced by ragged stone walls, and of the flinty, self-sufficient kind of temperament that flourishes in those places.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Tony Xu, cofounder and CEO of food and grocery giant DoorDash, doesn’t sugar coat the company’s efforts, and challenges, developing autonomous delivery technologies.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
8 Sep. 2025
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Tirias Research Watching and waiting for the automotive market to transition to autonomous vehicles (AVs) has been a painful experience.—
Jim McGregor,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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To have a chance at winning in November, a Democratic candidate will need to draw independent voters and sway on the fence Republicans, in addition rallying Democrats, Rottinghaus said.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Sep. 2025
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Though most sightings can be identified as planes, balloons, drones and weather events, the independent group says more sophisticated scientific research is needed, along with efforts to remove the stigma of reporting UFOs (sorry, UAP).—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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For this, researchers from China have developed various next-generation triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), which offer a self-sustaining power solution for marine regions.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Aug. 2025
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Leading to a self-sustaining economic loop where revenue generated from global-facing media products is reinvested directly into local wages, taxes, and services, fostering a stable foundation for multi-generational upward mobility.—
Stephanie Tharpe,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Denmark’s foreign minister has summoned the top U.S. diplomat in Copenhagen after the country’s national broadcaster reported that three people linked to President Donald Trump had been carrying out covert influence operations in Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
27 Aug. 2025
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On Wednesday, four explosive-laden drones hit oil fields in the semiautonomous northern Iraqi region, according to the local counterterrorism service.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 July 2025
Adjective
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Ask Amy: My unsociable neighbor doesn't know about me and his wife.—
Bay Area News Group,
The Mercury News,
2 June 2024
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To drink too much would be inexcusable; to drink too little would be unsociable.—
Erika Page,
The Christian Science Monitor,
2 Feb. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Altricial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/altricial. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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