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  • genetic
    genetic
    adjective
    pertaining or according to genetics.
  • -genetic
    -genetic
    a suffix of adjectives corresponding to nouns ending in -genesis:
Synonyms

genetic

1 American  
[juh-net-ik] / dʒəˈnɛt ɪk /
Also genetical

adjective

  1. Biology. pertaining or according to genetics.

  2. of, relating to, or produced by genes; genic.

  3. of, relating to, or influenced by geneses or origins.


-genetic 2 American  
  1. a suffix of adjectives corresponding to nouns ending in -genesis:

    parthenogenetic.


genetic British  
/ dʒɪˈnɛtɪk /

adjective

  1. of or relating to genetics, genes, or the origin of something

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of genetic

First recorded in 1825–35; gene(sis) + -tic

Explanation

Anything genetic has to do with your genes and DNA. You inherited your mom's eye color because it's genetic. Genetic traits run in families: biological families, anyway. Anything genetic is related to your DNA, the material you inherited from your biological parents. Hair color, eye color, and other physical traits are genetic, and so are some diseases. Scientists do genetic research to see how knowing what’s in your genes could help keep you well. If you're healthy, one reason is good genetics.

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Vocabulary lists containing genetic

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.

See Examples For:

A blood sample and a sample of high-risk melanoma tissue from the patient is sent for genetic sequencing.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 22, 2026

The company focused instead on rare genetic diseases, where executives thought mRNA would be more likely to work.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 22, 2026

She points to research from the University of Cambridge which found that people diagnosed with autism in early childhood often have a different genetic profile to people diagnosed when they are older.

From BBC Aug. 21, 2026

"Treatments need to be tailored not just to the disease, but to how a patient's immune system operates at a baseline genetic level."

From Science Daily Aug. 20, 2026

It is genetic, so old a code or command that it has become part of what sled dogs are; the fiber of their very being.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

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