Meaning & use

congenital

adjective·Advanced

Last updated

present from birth, especially referring to a medical condition

See it in a sentence

He was born with a congenital heart defect that required surgery.

The vet explained that the puppy's limp was congenital, not from an injury.

A note on using this word

A congenital condition is present at birth but not necessarily inherited genetically — it may result from something that happened during pregnancy.

Words with a similar meaning

inborninnate

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Words with an opposite meaning

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