emergent

American  

[ih-mur-juhnt] / ɪˈmɜr dʒənt /

adjective

1. coming into view or notice; issuing.

2. emerging; rising from a liquid or other surrounding medium.

3. coming into existence, especially with political independence.

   the emergent nations of Africa.

4. arising casually or unexpectedly.

5. calling for immediate action; urgent.

6. Evolution. displaying emergence.

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noun

1. Ecology. an aquatic plant having its stem, leaves, etc., extending above the surface of the water.

emergent British  

/ ɪˈmɜːdʒənt /

adjective

1. coming into being or notice

   an emergent political structure

2. (of a nation) recently independent

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noun

1. an aquatic plant with stem and leaves above the water

emergent Scientific  

/ ĭ-mûr′jənt /

1. Rooted below a body of water or in an area that is periodically submerged but extending above the water level. Used of aquatic plants such as cattails, rushes, or cord grass.

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Other Word Forms

• emergentness
  noun
• nonemergent
  adjective
• reemergent
  adjective
• unemergent
  adjective
• emergently
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of emergent

1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French ) < Latin ēmergent- (stem of ēmergēns ) arising out of, present participle of ēmergere to emerge

Explanation

If you have an emergent talent for science, your teacher might bump you up to an advanced science class. Emergent is an adjective that describes something that is emerging, or suddenly coming into existence. Emergent means “coming into being.” It's often used in phrases like “emergent technologies.” These are brand-new technologies that we can expect to be widely used in the near future. The Internet, for example, was an emergent technology in the early 1990s. Emergent sometimes implies that what is coming into being is surprising and demands a response. An “emergent disease,” for instance, would send scientists scrambling to find a cure. In this sense emergent is related to emergency.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

emergent

He laid the basis for Conservatives to dominate British politics from 1886 to 1997, as his successors adapted to an emergent mass culture and wider suffrage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Under an existing MOU, “Sheriff’s personnel respond to critical or emergent incidents when requested and when our resources or capabilities would be better equipped to address dynamic situations,” it said, the statement said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

Arguably war, especially in its modern version, is an emergent phenomenon triggered by a host of factors, but not by some genetic impulse we can’t be rid of.

From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026

As scientists continue to explore how geometry shapes quantum behavior, such emergent magnetic states could play an important role in developing energy efficient, post-CMOS computing technologies.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 2, 2026

As a result, small changes at a lower level of organization can lead to emergent changes at a higher level.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond