endogenous

American  

[en-doj-uh-nuhs] / ɛnˈdɒdʒ ə nəs /

adjective

1. proceeding from within; derived internally.

2. Biology. growing or developing from within; originating within.

3. Pathology. (of a disease) resulting from conditions within the organism rather than externally caused.

4. Biochemistry. pertaining to the metabolism of nitrogenous elements of cells and tissues.

5. Geology. endogenetic.

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endogenous British  

/ ɛnˈdɒdʒɪnəs /

adjective

1. biology developing or originating within an organism or part of an organism

   endogenous rhythms

2. having no apparent external cause

   endogenous depression

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endogenous Scientific  

/ ĕn-dŏj′ə-nəs /

1. Originating or produced within an organism, tissue, or cell.

2. Compare exogenous

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Other Word Forms

• endogenicity noun
• endogenously adverb
• endogeny noun

Etymology

Origin of endogenous

First recorded in 1825–35; endo- + -genous

Explanation

If your doctor says your sickness is endogenous, he means that whatever's wrong with you went wrong inside your body, and wasn't caused by anything you can catch, like a virus. Endogenous is a fancy term for anything that originates internally. You're most likely to see the word endogenous when you're dealing with biology, but it can mean "coming from within" in other senses too. Use it for anything that originates inside a system. The revolution in your school was endogenous, even though the principal, always in denial, chose to blame it on outside rabble-rousers.

Example Sentences

We need prospective studies that stratify GLP-1 agonist outcomes by baseline endogenous hormone levels, something no major clinical trial has done.

From Slate • Mar. 22, 2026

"We needed a tool to do that exploration to understand which variants are functional in their endogenous genomic context and understand how they contribute to disease progression."

From Science Daily • Oct. 18, 2025

Economists after Solow, particularly Robert Lucas and Paul Romer, had models of economic growth with endogenous technological change.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025

But those worldviews are not just endogenous to groups.

From Salon • Mar. 1, 2025

A. Various stages in the development of the endogenous spores in a Clostridium—the small letters indicate the order.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2 "Baconthorpe" to "Bankruptcy" by Various

Related Words

• internal
• remote