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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

  • genetically adverb
  • hypergenetic adjective
  • hypergenetical adjective
  • hypergenetically adverb
  • hypergeneticalness noun
  • nongenetic adjective
  • nongenetical adjective
  • nongenetically adverb

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

The gut microbiome is incredibly complex, containing thousands of bacterial species and even more genetic variation.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026

The charity said future plans included genetic analysis to trace the spider's origins and surveys of nearby heathlands in Sherwood Forest to find potential new sites.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Detailed genetic testing and close examination of physical traits showed otherwise.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026

Scientists there analyze it to identify genetic mutations unique to that patient’s cancer, encode them into an mRNA vaccine and return the vaccine to New York in about nine weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

The geneticist Barbara McClintock discovered genetic elements that can move around within the genome—so-called jumping genes; she would win the Nobel Prize in 1983.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee