ENGLISH
REFERENCE

genetic

adj.
US //dʒəˈnɛtɪk// UK //dʒɛnˈɛtɪk// ge·net·ic
  1. 1 related to genes (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Science

    relating to genes or the study of how traits are passed from parents to children.

    relating to genetics or the biological mechanisms of heredity.

    Example

    Scientists are doing genetic research to understand why some people have blue eyes.

    Example

    The researchers identified a specific genetic marker that appears to correlate with a higher resistance to certain types of viral infections.
  2. 2 caused by genes (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

    describes a quality or disease that you are born with because of your parents' genes.

    determined or caused by genes; inherited rather than acquired through environmental factors.

    Example

    Color blindness is a genetic condition that is more common in men.

    Example

    The patient's family history suggested a genetic predisposition to heart disease, prompting the doctor to recommend earlier screening.
Show 2 more sensesShow fewer
  1. 3 language families (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Academic Technical Linguistics

    describes languages that come from the same original language.

    relating to the historical relationship between languages that share a common ancestor.

    Example

    English and German have a genetic relationship because they both come from an older language.

    Example

    The genetic classification of these indigenous languages remains a subject of intense debate among historical linguists due to the lack of written records.
  2. 4 origin or development (adj.)
    C2 Proficiency Academic Formal

    relating to the beginning or the way something started to develop.

    relating to the origin, creation, or historical development of something.

    Example

    The book explains the genetic history of the city from its first small buildings.

    Example

    The essay provides a genetic account of the movement, tracing its philosophical roots back to the early eighteenth century.
Origin

Coined from genesis, similarly to antithesis, antithetic. Reflects Ancient Greek γενετικός (genetikós), from γένεσις (génesis) + -κός (-kós). Ultimately from Ancient Greek γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “I come into being”). By surface analysis, gene + -tic or gen(esis) + -etic.

Word family
Idioms1 entry

© 2026 English Reference