congenital
adjective
con·gen·i·tal
| \ kən-ˈje-nə-tᵊl
, kän-\
, kän-\
Definition of congenital
1a
: existing at or dating from birth
congenital deafness
b
: constituting an essential characteristic : inherent
congenital fear of snakes
c
: acquired during development in the uterus and not through heredity
congenital syphilis
2
: being such by nature
a congenital liar
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Other Words from congenital
congenitally
\ kən-ˈje-nə-tᵊl-ē
, kän- \
adverb
, kän- \
adverb
Examples of congenital in a Sentence
The irregularity in my backbone is probably congenital.
a congenital liar who couldn't speak the truth if his life depended on it
Recent Examples on the Web
Tests conducted by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester determined Harris had a congenital condition known as brain arteriovenous malformation. — Chris Tomasson, Twin Cities, "Former Vikings guard Mike Harris back in the NFL as uniform inspector," 4 Aug. 2019 The study of more than 200 babies, published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, also shows that a very small number of children born with the congenital condition known as microcephaly had their symptoms improve. — Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, "One-third of toddlers exposed to Zika in the womb suffer developmental problems, study says," 8 July 2019 And the hitters include Conforto and Amed Rosario, a 23-year-old who has weathered the congenital impatience of Mets management and appears poised to become a fine shortstop. — Michael Powell, New York Times, "As Wins Pile Up, Mets and Their Fans Soak in the Moment," 10 Aug. 2019 Willekes acknowledges his congenital need for adrenaline. — Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press, "Why Michigan State's Joe Bachie and Kenny Willekes are like mother and son," 7 Aug. 2019 Many people suspect that doctors suffer from a congenital inability to control their own destinies. — Eric Topol, The New Yorker, "Why Doctors Should Organize," 5 Aug. 2019 Stone is a congenital bilateral above-the-elbow amputee. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Women’s Super Girl Surf Pro returns to Oceanside with first adaptive contest," 27 July 2019 His other eye had the same flaw, as did Kadira's eyes, which Klein said suggested the problem was congenital. — oregonlive.com, "The trouble with tigers in America," 13 July 2019 Born with a congenital birth defect in both arms, Niemiller talked about his disability during his second showcase in front of celebrity panelists Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough. — David Lindquist, Indianapolis Star, "Indianapolis comedian Ryan Niemiller makes Top 36 of 'America's Got Talent'," 24 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'congenital.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for congenital
congenital
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of congenital
: existing since birth
informal
: naturally having a specified character
See the full definition for congenital in the English Language Learners Dictionary
congenital
adjective
con·gen·i·tal
| \ kän-ˈjen-ə-tᵊl
\
\
Medical Definition of congenital
1
: existing at or dating from birth
congenital deafness
2
: acquired during development in the uterus and not through heredity
congenital syphilis
— compare acquired sense 1, familial, hereditary
Other Words from congenital
congenitally
\ -tᵊl-ē
\
adverb
\
adverb
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