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 sport that began in embryonic form a year before the modern Olympics launched in Athens now wants to join the greatest sporting show on Earth.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Our critic noted that the works on view “give us Gothic architecture in its embryonic state, designs realized in graphic form just before their incarnation as solid matter.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Sometimes called “massives,” these embryonic raves bubbled underground, often in former industrial districts with available, frequently forgotten spaces.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
Paterson and Gower used visual references from porcupines to animal embryonic sacks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
Did he think it through as carefully as he should have when he took a multi-million-dollar position on a method of breeding “super cattle” by hormone injection and embryonic implant?
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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.
