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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
Researchers say these impacts make it especially important to assess the risks on Mediterranean islands, where many unique invertebrate and vertebrate species are found nowhere else.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
Some campaigners describe the site as an "incomparable haven" for nature, with more than 1,000 invertebrate species found there - including at least 99 of conservation concern.
From BBC ● May 3, 2026
One species has been successfully reintroduced to its Polynesian island home – the first invertebrate ever to be downlisted from extinct in the wild to critically endangered.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
The findings address a long-standing gap in understanding how both vertebrate and invertebrate eyes continue growing and sustaining themselves.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 2, 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
Space4Nature said some 350 volunteers had been trained in ecological surveys for both invertebrates and vegetation.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
"Right away, I knew it was something really special," says Voight, curator emerita of invertebrates at the Field Museum in Chicago and the lead author of the study describing the new species.
From Science Daily ● May 25, 2026
Meiofauna are tiny invertebrates measuring less than one millimeter long.
From Science Daily ● May 12, 2026
Scientists found seagrass meadows affected by excessive nutrients in the water - caused by sewage, fertilisers, manure and industry wastewater - had far fewer and less variety of small invertebrates like crabs, shrimps and snails.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
Offshore, an unfinished break wall was home to kelp beds and invertebrates.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
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.
