genetic

1 of 2

adjective

ge·​net·​ic jə-ˈne-tik How to pronounce genetic (audio)
variants or less commonly genetical
jə-ˈne-ti-kəl How to pronounce genetic (audio)
Synonyms of geneticnext
1
: relating to or determined by the origin, development, or causal antecedents of something
2
a
: of, relating to, or involving genetics
b
: of, relating to, caused by, or controlled by genes
a genetic disease
genetic variation
genetically
jə-ˈne-ti-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce genetic (audio)
adverb

-genetic

2 of 2

adjective combining form

1
: -genic sense 1
organogenetic
2
: -genic sense 2
psychogenetic

Synonyms of genetic

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of genetic in a Sentence

Adjective hemophilia and other genetic medical disorders
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
As to your other brother and the daughter that the rest of the family doesn’t know about, this kind of information is brought to light more and more often through genetic testing. — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026 Two new clades of the virus, SHAV-EU1 and SHAV-EU2, were detected earlier this year, and genetic testing revealed traces of the first type in the deceased person’s cerebrospinal fluid, urine and saliva, among other samples. — Sahas Mehra, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2026 For Norely Sanders, in her early 30s, that means annual breast exams, appointments with her genetic counselor and mammograms. — ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026 Six researchers used Claude Code to redesign part of the genetic instructions controlling these cells. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for genetic

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

genesis

First Known Use

Adjective

1750, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of genetic was in 1750

Phrases Containing genetic

Rhymes for genetic

See All Rhymes for genetic

Browse Nearby Words

genethliac
genetic
-genetic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Genetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genetic. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

genetic

adjective
ge·​net·​ic jə-ˈnet-ik How to pronounce genetic (audio)
variants also genetical
-i-kəl How to pronounce genetic (audio)
: of, relating to, or involving genes or genetics
genetic research
also : caused or controlled by genes
a genetic disease
genetically
-i-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce genetic (audio)
adverb

Medical Definition

genetic

adjective
ge·​net·​ic jə-ˈnet-ik How to pronounce genetic (audio)
variants also genetical
-i-kəl How to pronounce genetic (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or involving genetics
2
: of, relating to, caused by, or controlled by genes
a genetic disease
genetic material
compare acquired sense 1
genetically
-i-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce genetic (audio)
adverb
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