mutant
Americanadjective
noun
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
- unmutant adjective
Etymology
Origin of mutant
1900–05; < Latin mūtant- (stem of mūtāns ), present participle of mūtāre to change; -ant
Compare meaning
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Explanation
When an animal's genes change, or mutate, the new form of the animal that results is a mutant. One example of such a mutant is a blue lobster. Another is the teenage mutant ninja turtle. You can use the scientific term mutant for any plant or animal that's the result of a change, or mutation, in the DNA of that organism. When the word is used as an adjective, it describes something having to do with this kind of mutation, like a mutant chromosome or a mutant lobster. Mutant stems from the Latin mutantem, which means "changing."
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.
In some cases, mutant forms of MeCP2 are produced in smaller amounts or have reduced ability to bind DNA, which is essential for carrying out its role in controlling gene activity.
From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2026
More recently, he appeared in “Fallout” just long enough for his character to be mauled to death by a mutant bear.
From Salon • Jan. 15, 2026
Within minutes, the woman goes into labor, giving birth to a mutant baby with wings.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2025
Under the endless hood is preserved Ferrari’s naturally aspirated V12 engine, a 6.5-liter, 818-hp mutant known as the HD140.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
They may be a mechanism for keeping new, mutant kinds of DNA in the widest circulation among us.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
