genetic
adjective
pertaining or according to genetics.
genetic
1 American
[juh-net-ik]
/ dʒəˈnɛt ɪk /
Also
genetical
-genetic
2
American
genetic
British
/ dʒɪˈnɛtɪk /
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of genetic
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.
Vocabulary lists containing genetic
Genetics - Inheritance and Variation of Traits
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "G"
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National Nurses Week: Common Medical Terms
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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.
She is using some of the money she inherited from a family member in her mid-20s— $44,000 of it—to fund a study at Imperial College London that will further explore potential genetic links.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
It turns an asymmetry in genetic transmission into a narrative based on feelings, attraction, and prehistoric romance.
From Science Daily • Jul. 7, 2026
Because the company offered "comprehensive" genetic profiles of people who submitted their DNA, including genetic markers related to their health and family history, some of the information accessed by hackers was highly personal.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026
We wanted to shine the light on it and get people, especially women, to pay attention to their bodies — don’t put off your mammograms — and, for Chris, the big thing was genetic screening.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026
The more pandas in the wild, the greater the species’ genetic diversity, the greater the chance that pandas will survive threats as they emerge.
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
