symbiotic

[ sim-bee-ot-ik, -bahy- ]

/ ˌsɪm biˈɒt ɪk, -baɪ- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR symbiotic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

living in symbiosis, or having an interdependent relationship: Many people feel the relationship between humans and dogs is symbiotic.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

symbionese, symbionese liberation army, symbiont, symbiosis, symbiote, symbiotic, symblepharon, symblepharopterygium, symbol, symbol retailer, symbolic

Sometimes sym·bi·ot·i·cal.

Origin of symbiotic

symbio(sis) + -tic

Related formssym·bi·ot·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·sym·bi·ot·ic, adjectivenon·sym·bi·ot·i·cal, adjectivenon·sym·bi·ot·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for symbiotic

The symbiotic relationship is part of what The Plant calls its closed-loop system.
Vertical Indoor Farms Are Growing in the U.S.|Miranda Green|May 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There is a symbiotic and cooperative relationship between Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza and those in Sinai.
Hamas’s Desengaño With Morsi|Hussein Ibish|March 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They had, according to Morgen, “a wonderful, symbiotic relationship with the press.”
‘Crossfire Hurricane’ Chronicles Rolling Stones’ Road to Rock Immortality|Marlow Stern|November 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
That mat is actually a culture: in technical terms, a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast.
Is Celebrity Favorite Kombucha Really a Health and Anti-Aging Cure?|Anneli Rufus|February 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The symbiotic relationship between television and local officials played a huge role.
A Hurricane of Hype|Howard Kurtz|August 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Desoxyribose nucleic acid in the symbiotic microorganisms of the cockroach, Blattella germanica.
The Biotic Associations of Cockroaches|Louis M. Roth
It would have to borrow energy from the host—which was a poor way to start a symbiotic relationship.
Insidekick|Jesse Franklin Bone
The magter must have caught the symbiotic infection eating some Disan animal.
Planet of the Damned|Harry Harrison
The magter must have caught the symbiotic infection by eating some Disan animal.
Sense of Obligation|Henry Maxwell Dempsey (AKA Harry Harrison)
This established the important principle of symbiotic fermentation and gave it a rational explanation.
Makers of British Botany; a collection of biographies by living botanists|Various

Word Origin and History for symbiotic

symbiotic

adj.

1882, in biology, from symbiosis. Of human activities, from 1951.

Medicine definitions for symbiotic

symbiotic

[ sĭm′bē-ŏt′ĭk, -bī- ]

adj.

Of, resembling, or relating to symbiosis.

Science definitions for symbiotic

symbiosis

[ sĭm′bē-ō′sĭs ]

The close association between two or more organisms of different species, often but not necessarily benefiting each member. The association of algae and fungi in lichens and of bacteria living in the intestines or on the skin of animals are forms of symbiosis. Some scientists believe that many multicellular organisms evolved from symbiotic relationships between unicellular ones and that the DNA-containing organelles within certain eukaryotic cells (such as mitochondria and chloroplasts) are the product of symbiotic relationships in which the participants became interdependent. There are four forms of symbiosis: amensalism, commensalism, mutualism, and parasitism.

Related formssymbiotic adjective