embryonic

Also em·bry·o·nal

[em-bree-on-ik]

adjective

1. pertaining to or in the state of an embryo.

2. rudimentary; undeveloped.

   Synonyms: unfinished, immature, underdeveloped

embryonic

/ ˌɛmbrɪˈɒnɪk, ˈɛmbrɪənəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to an embryo

2. in an early stage; rudimentary; undeveloped

Other Word Forms

• embryonically adverb
• nonembryonal adjective
• nonembryonic adjective
• nonembryonically adverb
• pseudoembryonic adjective
• unembryonal adjective
• unembryonic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of embryonic¹

1840–50; embryon- ( embryo ) + -ic

Example Sentences

"We achieved something that was thought to be impossible," said Prof Shoukhrat Mitalipov, the director of the Oregon Health and Science University's centre for embryonic cell and gene therapy.

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Political analysts cautioned that the race is sill wide open, with one expert declining to speculate during the “embryonic” stages as the field takes shape.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The 2025-26 Premier League season is barely a game old but, for Sunderland fans, the embryonic table merits more than just a cursory glance.

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As for Tesfaye, he’s not uninteresting as a screen presence, but it’s an embryonic magnetism, in need of material richer than a bunch of close-ups that culminate in a howl of a ballad.

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Bowing to religious and partisan ideologues in 2001, George W. Bush restricted embryonic stem cell research.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• evolving www.thesaurus.com
• immature 
• incipient 
• undeveloped