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
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.
Instead, he doubled down on physical AI and a purpose-built robot car, the Cybercab that recently joined the company’s nascent robotaxi fleet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Quantum computing startup Oratomic raised $475 million, just three months after its Series A, the latest sign of growing investor enthusiasm in the nascent technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
"That is not how technology markets work, particularly with a really nascent technology like AI," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Lawmakers and AI industry leaders have also called for guardrails on the nascent technology, which experts warn could soon surpass human understanding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Within the nascent galaxies, much smaller clouds were also experiencing gravitational collapse; interior temperatures became very high, thermonuclear reactions were initiated, and the first stars turned on.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
