as in type
one of the units into which a whole is divided on the basis of a common characteristic
the crime novel, written from the criminal's perspective, is sometimes seen as a particular species of the detective story genus
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Recent Examples of genus
There are more than a dozen Texas Ranger shrubs in the Leucophyllum genus, including eight-foot-tall giants and a three-foot compact type.
—
Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025
Both healthy and sick sea stars carried a ton of Vibrio bacteria—which was expected, since the genus is found all over the ocean.
—JSTOR Daily, 17 Oct. 2025
The female’s back is covered in small protrusions that resemble popped kernels of popcorn, inspiring its genus name Zea, derived from the corn plant.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
Combined with flooding and leftover pools of water, these conditions created a breeding paradise for Anopheles mosquitoes—the genus responsible for spreading malaria.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for genus
Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025
Both healthy and sick sea stars carried a ton of Vibrio bacteria—which was expected, since the genus is found all over the ocean.
—JSTOR Daily, 17 Oct. 2025
The female’s back is covered in small protrusions that resemble popped kernels of popcorn, inspiring its genus name Zea, derived from the corn plant.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
Combined with flooding and leftover pools of water, these conditions created a breeding paradise for Anopheles mosquitoes—the genus responsible for spreading malaria.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for genus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for genus
Noun
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Before making landfall on Tuesday, Melissa reached Category 5 status, the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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Every year, France is behind so many movies submitted for the international feature film category at the Oscars.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In March 2023, the company launched a pilot production line in South Korea, the first of its kind, and began producing prototype solid-state batteries by the end of the year.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
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Those small victories brought hope, the kind that makes every extra day feel like a gift.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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No single species predominates.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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The findings are corroborated by the fact that molestus was first described as a species in 1775 in Egypt by naturalist Peter Forsskål.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Genus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/genus. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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