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eugenics
[ yoo-jen-iks ]
/ yuˈdʒɛn ɪks /
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noun (used with a singular verb)
the study of or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species or a human population, especially by such means as discouraging reproduction by people presumed to have inheritable undesirable traits (negative eugenics ) or encouraging reproduction by people presumed to have inheritable desirable traits (positive eugenics ).
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historical usage of eugenics
Modern eugenics was popularized by Sir Francis Galton in the late 1800s. In many cases, its methods have been entwined with prejudice. Selecting for desirable traits requires establishing what counts as desirable, and for some scientists of the late 1800s and early 1900s, people with disabilities, people in lower economic classes, and people belonging to any ethnic or racial minority group were automatically considered to be undesirable. In the United States, forced or coerced sterilizations were conducted throughout the first half of the 20th century, often targeting people with physical or mental disabilities, people who had committed crimes, Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous people, and other vulnerable groups. In Germany, eugenics was a crucial part of the Nazi Party's ideology. Because of this history of racism, ableism, classism, and other types of discrimination, eugenics is generally not studied or practiced within the scientific community today. The rise of genetic engineering, however, has brought new concerns to the conversation surrounding eugenics.
Words nearby eugenics
eugarie, Eugene, Eugenia, eugenic, eugenicist, eugenics, Eugénie, Eugenius I, Eugenius II, Eugenius III, Eugenius IV
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use eugenics in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for eugenics
eugenics
/ (juːˈdʒɛnɪks) /
noun
(functioning as singular) the study of methods of improving the quality of the human race, esp by selective breeding
Derived forms of eugenics
eugenic, adjectiveeugenically, adverbeugenicist, nouneugenist (ˈjuːdʒənɪst), noun, adjectiveWord Origin for eugenics
C19: from Greek eugenēs well-born, from eu- + -genēs born; see -gen
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for eugenics
eugenics
[ (yooh-jen-iks) ]
The idea that one can improve the human race by careful selection of those who mate and produce offspring.
notes for eugenics
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.