eugenic

adjective

eu·​gen·​ic yü-ˈje-nik How to pronounce eugenic (audio)
1
: relating to or fitted for the production of good offspring
2
: of or relating to eugenics
eugenically adverb

Examples of eugenic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The course describes Hitler’s adoption of the German medical profession’s eugenic racist ideology and the central and indispensable role of physicians in designing and implementing the Holocaust. Sheldon Rubenfeld, National Review, 13 Jan. 2024 In Narrow Roads of Gene Land W. D. Hamilton admits that his turn away from top-down eugenic policies had to do with this sort of issue. Discover Magazine, 20 Nov. 2019 Although there is nothing inherently eugenic about IVF, being able to manipulate human conception outside of the womb is an essential platform technology for any modern eugenic goal. Osagie K. Obasogie, Scientific American, 4 Oct. 2013 Reprehensible as much of the eugenic program was, there is something unobjectionable and perhaps even morally required in the part of its motivation that sought to endow future generations with genes that might enable their lives to go better. Kyle Munkittrick, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2011 This type of eugenic thinking has a propensity to shapeshift and adapt to new scientific paradigms and political circumstances, according to historian Marisa Miranda, who tracks Argentina’s attempts to control the population through science and technology. Wired Ideas, Wired, 16 Feb. 2022 Dight had organized the Minnesota Eugenics Society in 1923 and lobbied the legislature for a eugenic sterilization law. Star Tribune, 25 Sep. 2020 As Thompson and other historians have long noted, the Comstock Act was also rooted in eugenic sentiment, the idea that not enough of the right—in other words, white—babies were being produced. Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 12 Apr. 2023 Meanwhile, Jordan hired scholars like Lewis Terman, a social scientist who transformed primitive intelligence testing into a eugenic practice meant to weed out the evolutionarily fit from the rest (a technique that soon informed Stanford’s grading system). Scott W. Stern, The New Republic, 6 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eugenic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Greek eugenēs wellborn, from eu- + -genēs born — more at -gen

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of eugenic was in 1883

Dictionary Entries Near eugenic

Cite this Entry

“Eugenic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eugenic. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

eugenic

adjective
eu·​gen·​ic yu̇-ˈjen-ik How to pronounce eugenic (audio)
1
: relating to or fitted for the production of good offspring
2
: of or relating to eugenics

Medical Definition

eugenic

adjective
eu·​gen·​ic yu̇-ˈjen-ik How to pronounce eugenic (audio)
1
: relating to or fitted for the production of good offspring
2
: of or relating to eugenics
eugenically adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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