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Synonyms

mutagen

American  
[myoo-tuh-juhn, -jen] / ˈmyu tə dʒən, -ˌdʒɛn /

noun

  1. a substance or preparation capable of inducing mutation.

mutagen British  
/ ˌmjuːtəˈdʒɛnɪk, ˈmjuːtədʒən /

noun

  1. a substance or agent that can induce genetic mutation

"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
mutagen Cultural  

  1. Something that causes mutations in living things. Mutagens include chemicals, such as drugs or toxins, and radiation.

Other Word Forms

  • mutagenic adjective
  • mutagenicity noun

Etymology

Origin of mutagen

First recorded in 1945–50; muta(tion) + -gen

Vocabulary lists containing mutagen

Cell Biology - Middle School

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Cell Biology - High School

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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.

“We may have to start thinking of higher temperatures such as those found in mammals as a mutagen for fungi,” he says.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 19, 2024

This finding expands the knowledge of formaldehyde, previously considered only as a DNA mutagen, and helps establishing a further link with cancer.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2023

Research also found that it is a mutagen, meaning it can alter DNA.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2023

This was later confirmed experimentally; Francis Crick and Sydney Brenner used the chemical mutagen proflavin to insert one, two, or three nucleotides into the gene of a virus.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Another antisprouting agent, maleic hy- drazide, is rated a powerful mutagen.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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.