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Synonyms

genetic

1 American  
[juh-net-ik] / dʒəˈnɛt ɪk /
Also genetical

adjective

  1. Biology. pertaining or according to genetics.

  2. of, relating to, or produced by genes; genic.

  3. of, relating to, or influenced by geneses or origins.

-genetic 2 American  

  1. a suffix of adjectives corresponding to nouns ending in -genesis:

    parthenogenetic.
genetic British  
/ dʒɪˈnɛtɪk /

adjective

  1. of or relating to genetics, genes, or the origin of something

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • genetically adverb
  • hypergenetic adjective
  • hypergenetical adjective
  • hypergenetically adverb
  • hypergeneticalness noun
  • nongenetic adjective
  • nongenetical adjective
  • nongenetically adverb

Etymology

Origin of genetic

First recorded in 1825–35; gene(sis) + -tic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Researchers have uncovered a powerful genetic mechanism that may help explain how some species evolve with surprising speed.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

In France - one of a number of countries where genetic testing is illegal without a medical prescription due to privacy laws - the government has condemned the decision as "a step backwards".

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

The oil giant paid the smaller company $320 million over a decade to tinker with the genetic makeup of algae to try to distill enough oil to make the venture technically viable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

“But thanks to investigative genetic genealogy, we were able to resolve this mystery and provide some answers to everyone involved in this case.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

His grandchildren would inherit a quarter; his great-grandchildren, an eighth; his great-great-grandchildren, one-sixteenth, and so forth—until his genetic essence had been diluted, in just a few generations, into complete oblivion.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.