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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.

Researchers use this modified cold virus to carry and deliver important genetic material about the Bundibugyo Ebola virus to cells, instructing them to recognise and fight off the actual disease.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

Scientists are also experimenting with techniques ranging from nutritional gel to feed corals to shading techniques and genetic engineering to protect reefs.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

During the pandemic it was loaded with genetic code from the Covid-virus.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

Using melanoma drug resistance as a test case, the researchers showed that targeting these common control points could help overcome resistance across multiple genetic causes.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2026

The distinction between the two “races” of flies by virtue of a single chromosomal inversion was the most dramatic example of genetic variation that any geneticist had ever seen in a natural population.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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