mutualistic

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mutualistic By comparing interspecies cooperation with communication systems found within species and in other mutualistic relationships, the authors provide a broader framework for understanding how cooperation emerges and persists. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 20 June 2026 This suggests that the mutualistic relationship is obligatory for the host but facultative for the endosymbiont (see also coral bleaching). — Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 June 2026 Emily Yeager, the lead author of the study, told USA TODAY in an interview that the symbiotic relationship between remoras and their hosts had been considered either mutualistic, where both species benefit or commensal, where one benefits without affecting the other. — James Powel, USA Today, 14 May 2026 Corals, too, have a mutualistic relationship with some seagrasses. — David George Haskell, Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026 Reciprocity sustains mutualistic exchange. — Scott Hutcheson, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mutualistic
Adjective
  • Those fungi form symbiotic relationships with plant and tree roots, helping the roots collect water and nutrients from the soil to nourish the plants above.
    — Manjot Kaur Sidhu, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
  • At the end of Season 1, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange team up to fight a mysterious symbiote alien, who leaves behind a small trace of symbiotic goo that Osborn collects and investigates.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • This is very useful for a practice called commensal SETI, whereby a SETI instrument piggybacks on a radio telescope's usual day-to-day observations.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • For example, cleaning stations are mutualistic while hitchhiking is commensal.
    — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • And as always, at the top level, the sport is dependent upon manufacturer largesse, something that usually vanishes in the face of worsening economic outlooks.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Malawi, which has among the highest fuel pump prices in Africa at more than $3 a liter, highlights the impact of a $100-plus per barrel crude price on import-dependent economies with thin buffers.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Combining certain treatments—like ultrasound and exosome skin boosters—can have a synergistic effect.
    — Anna Haines, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The synergistic effect of this is that an opposing offense can't double team both Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Mutualistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mutualistic. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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