nascent
Americanadjective
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beginning to exist or develop.
That nascent republic is holding its first election this month.
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Chemistry. (of an element) in the nascent state.
adjective
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starting to grow or develop; being born
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chem (of an element or simple compound, esp hydrogen) created within the reaction medium in the atomic form and having a high activity
Other Word Forms
- nascence noun
- nascency noun
- unnascent adjective
Etymology
Origin of nascent
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin nāscent-, stem of nāscēns “being born,” present participle of nāscī “to be born, arise”
Explanation
The adjective nascent describes the birth or beginning of something, like a civilization, a trend, an idea, or an action. If your idea for a time machine is nascent, it needs a lot more work before you'll be ready to travel to ancient Egypt. Imagine you’re in the future looking back at the first time you learned the definition of the word nascent. Your nascent efforts to use the word felt awkward, but you quickly felt comfortable with it, especially after you learned how to pronounce it: “NAY-sent.” Now you use the word all the time!
Vocabulary lists containing nascent
This Week in Words: September 1 - 7, 2018
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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.
He studied the prevention and cure of disease and how the body functioned, including respiration and blood circulation, and he had a nascent understanding of germs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
The half-dozen new bills are meant to help the nascent industry clear those hurdles.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
The larger issue for stocks heading into the second quarter, however, is likely to be the speed and sustainability of the nascent recovery.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
Sports and live events are seen as a means to attract and keep subscribers and an opportunity for Netflix to boost its nascent advertising business.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
The idea was still nascent and an actual decision many months away, but clearly it was taking hold in Barack’s mind.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
