ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Emergent

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ɪˈmɜːd͡ʒənt/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Emergent is an adjective meaning Emerging; coming into view or into existence; nascent; new.

Meaning

Emerging; coming into view or into existence; nascent; new.

More Meanings

  1. Arising unexpectedly, especially if also calling for immediate reaction.
  2. (especially medicine) Constituting an emergency.
  3. (botany) Taller than the surrounding vegetation.
  4. (botany, of a water-dwelling plant) Having leaves and flowers above the water.
  5. (video games) Having gameplay that arises from its mechanics, rather than a linear storyline.
  6. (botany) A plant whose root system grows underwater, but whose shoot, leaves and flowers grow up and above the water.
  7. (philosophy, epistemology, sciences) That arises at a higher level than that of its components and is not explainable by the behaviour of said components taken individually; having properties as a whole that are more complex than the properties contributed by each of the components individually.

Example Sentences

an emergent property
Bleeding manifestations in chronic DIC are more subacute than in acute DIC, but may become emergent as DIC progresses.
As a rule, esophageal disorders become emergent when the airway is compromised either by the initial insult or by a high risk of aspiration.
Therefore, patients with ulcerative colitis should ideally be treated before they become emergent cases with toxic megacolon or perforation of the colon.

Word Forms

Synonyms for emergent

Depending on context, synonyms include ascending, emerging, forthcoming, inchoate, incipient, immature.

Antonyms for emergent

Common opposites include dying, moribund.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include nascent, emerging, aborning, incipient, up-and-coming, developing.

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Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.