as in urgent
needing immediate attention
since the problem was not seen as emergent, implementation of the expensive solution for it was continually put off
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of emergent
Although likely unknown to older audiences, the platform is hugely popular with younger comedy fans, and has become a bubbling cauldron for emergent voices.
—
David Sims, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2025
And quite commonly the problem is that in an effort to give the grass every possible advantage, pre-emergent herbicide was applied with the seed — the thinking being that the herbicide will inhibit weeds from competing with the new grass plants.
—Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Sep. 2025
Your new one must be about navigating the emergent possibilities of human-machine partnership.
—Ajay Pundhir, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
The result, from seemingly simple inputs of molecules and energy, is emergent, incalculable chaos.
—Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for emergent
David Sims, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2025
And quite commonly the problem is that in an effort to give the grass every possible advantage, pre-emergent herbicide was applied with the seed — the thinking being that the herbicide will inhibit weeds from competing with the new grass plants.
—Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Sep. 2025
Your new one must be about navigating the emergent possibilities of human-machine partnership.
—Ajay Pundhir, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
The result, from seemingly simple inputs of molecules and energy, is emergent, incalculable chaos.
—Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for emergent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emergent
Adjective
-
The plot unfolds at the urgent but erratic pace of a life-altering business deal, as Bonitzer unfussily steers us through a series of small rooms as people scramble to determine the proper thing to do with Schiele’s painting.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
29 Oct. 2025
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To Trump, of course, gutting the Civil Rights Act is likely to be a point of pride, enabling the government to focus on more urgent matters, such as protecting white students from the purportedly harmful effects of diversity-equity-and-inclusion programs.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
According to Richards’ method, all meaning would be yielded by acute attention to the thing itself.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Across Sudan, the IPC said more than 21 million people, or 45% of the population, faced acute food insecurity as of September, a 6% drop from the previous report which covered the period from December 2024 until May this year.—
NPR,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Emergent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emergent. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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