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.
Kelcy Warren’s Energy Transfer is preparing to move its primary listing to the nascent exchange.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The deal also helped a nascent cloud provider, Lambda, secure a lucrative contract with Anthropic without needing to procure the data-center space on its own.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
A roadmap agreed by Hamas on July 30 said that the decommissioning of weapons would be supervised by the International Stabilization Force, the nascent unit that aims to deploy to Gaza if the situation calms.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
She was at her best with the women of Trio, a supergroup with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, and this regal single of nascent, unrequited commitment is as lovely as they come.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
It was perfected in North China, spread and preempted or replaced any other nascent system, and evolved into the writing still used in China today.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
