embryonic
Americanadjective
-
pertaining to or in the state of an embryo.
-
rudimentary; undeveloped.
- Synonyms:
- unfinished, immature, underdeveloped
adjective
-
of or relating to an embryo
-
in an early stage; rudimentary; undeveloped
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of embryonic
Explanation
If something is described as embryonic, it's just starting to develop or come together. An "embryo" is a person or animal that is still growing in the womb or egg, and embryonic means "like an embryo." The idea for Facebook was still embryonic when its creators agreed to be partners. At that early stage, none of them could have imagined what an enormous company it would become. Scientists working on embryonic stem-cell research are working on stem cells from embryos, which have special properties not found in any other cells. Our relationship was still embryonic when you suggested we move in together, but for me, the first date is way too early to think about such things.
Vocabulary lists containing embryonic
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The Double Helix
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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.
The Serb's embryonic body of work came in one of the strongest eras of the ATP Tour, however.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
While this purse string model applies broadly, it does not explain division in species with especially large embryonic cells, including sharks, platypus, birds and reptiles.
From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2026
The Ivanpah plant used embryonic solar thermal technology that generated power from hundreds of thousands of mirrors focusing sunlight onto giant towers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025
“We believe as a business that embryonic selection, genetic optimization, is not for the few, but for everyone,” Sadeghi said at the June launch of Nucleus’s polygenic embryo screening product.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025
They are the mapmakers of the embryonic world.
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.
