invertebrate
Americanadjective
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Zoology.
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not vertebrate; without a backbone.
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of or relating to creatures without a backbone.
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without strength of character.
noun
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an invertebrate animal.
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a person who lacks strength of character.
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
- invertebracy noun
- invertebrateness noun
Etymology
Origin of invertebrate
From the New Latin word invertebrātus, dating back to 1820–30. See in- 3, vertebrate
Explanation
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. Invertebrate animals include fruit flies and sea sponges. Your backbone allows you to stand up straight, and it also allows you to be grouped with the other vertebrates: animals with backbones. Invertebrates are the opposite: they have no backbone. These are the two major groups of animals. Also, this word is used for people who are spineless in the sense of having no courage. You could say a coward acts in an invertebrate way. Whether it's a backbone-free animal or a courage-free person, all invertebrates lack spines.
Vocabulary lists containing invertebrate
Tyrannosaurus Lex(icon)
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Life Science: Organisms and Taxonomy
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Animals (Zoology) - Introductory
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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.
The RIC project aims to find out more about threatened invertebrate species and their distribution across the Cairngorms National Park.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
In the second major Ocean Species Discoveries collection, more than 20 researchers collaborated to describe 14 new marine invertebrate species and two new genera from across the globe.
From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2025
So the question of cyborg ethics is currently a question of the ethics of creating cyborgs from invertebrate animals.
From Salon • May 13, 2025
Exotic insects have become popular among collectors and invertebrate aficionados across the globe.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2025
The invertebrate eye was invented into an optical instrument at the MBL, opening the way to modern visual physiology.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
