genetics

American  

[juh-net-iks] / dʒəˈnɛt ɪks /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

genetics plural

1. Biology. the science of heredity, dealing with resemblances and differences of related organisms resulting from the interaction of their genes and the environment.

2. the genetic properties and phenomena of an organism.

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genetics British  

/ dʒɪˈnɛtɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the branch of biology concerned with the study of heredity and variation in organisms

2. the genetic features and constitution of a single organism, species, or group

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genetics Scientific  

/ jə-nĕt′ĭks /

1. The scientific study of the principles of heredity and the variation of inherited traits among related organisms.

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genetics Cultural  

1. The study of heredity, or how the characteristics of living things are transmitted from one generation to the next. Every living thing contains the genetic material that makes up DNA molecules. This material is passed on when organisms reproduce. The basic unit of heredity is the gene. (See chromosomes; dominant trait; genetic code; Gregor Mendel; recessive trait; and sexual reproduction.)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• genetics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of genetics

First recorded in 1905; see genetic, -ics; term first proposed in this sense by British biologist William Bateson (1861–1926)

Compare meaning

How does genetics compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• heredity vs. genetics

Explanation

Genetics is the study of the traits people and other animals inherit from their family through DNA. Compare the size of your nose to your father's and you are dealing with genetics — but only if he's your biological father. Genetics involves studying genes — DNA — to look at how organisms evolve and are related. Scientists use genetics to prove whether genes for things like depression or intelligence exist. One of the most commonly discussed examples of genetics is what determines if a man will lose his hair: oddly, men inherit the baldness gene from their mothers, not their fathers.

Example Sentences

Genetics, meanwhile, don't play too much of a role.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026

Genetics may play a small part in this.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

The findings, published in Nature Genetics, offer important clues that could lead to new treatments designed to target these specific cells.

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026

Genetics play a major role in determining Alzheimer's risk.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026

And some enforce their patents aggressively: Myriad Genetics, which holds the patents on the BRCAi and BRCA2 genes responsible for most cases of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, charges $3,000 to test for the genes.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Related Words

• ancestry
• lineage