eugenic

[ yoo-jen-ik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to measures intended to produce a perceived improvement in the characteristics of the human species or a human population, especially through reproductive policy.
2. having inherited characteristics that are seen as favorable for the purpose of producing or reproducing perceived improvements in the human species or a human population. Compare dysgenic.

Other Words From

• eu·gen·i·cal·ly adverb
• non·eu·gen·ic adjective
• non·eu·gen·i·cal adjective
• non·eu·gen·i·cal·ly adverb
• un·eu·gen·ic adjective
• un·eu·gen·i·cal adjective
• un·eu·gen·i·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of eugenic¹

First recorded in 1880–85; from Greek eugen(ḗs) “wellborn” ( eu-, -gen ) + -ic

Example Sentences

When Tanton blended ecology with eugenics and immigration, he was digging up the two-century-old principles of Thomas Malthus, who first theorized that human population growth would lead to poverty and suffering.

From Salon

That "Low IQ" claim is a favorite, unsubtle dog whistle Trump often applies to Black people, following his lifelong obsession with the racist pseudoscience of eugenics.

From Salon

He's also been using one of his most tired insults for Black people and women: "low IQ," which is rooted in his lifelong obsession with the racist pseudo-science of eugenics.

From Salon

In the following decade, the eugenic gospel would set the world on fire through one of Madison Grant’s most famous fans.

From Salon

First and most obviously, his Silicon Valley backers not only embrace the eugenic arguments advanced in “The Bell Curve,” but center those arguments ideologically.

From Salon

Related Words

• ancestral
• hereditary
• historical