Meaning & use
eugenic
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounformaldisapproving
Relating to the discredited attempt to improve a population's genetic qualities by controlling who reproduces.
Grammar: Used before a noun, as in 'eugenic policies'. It is not usually used after a verb.
Patterns
- eugenic policies
- eugenic ideas
- eugenic practices
The regime's eugenic policies led to forced sterilizations.
Historians study how eugenic thinking spread in the early twentieth century.
The court condemned the eugenic law as a violation of human rights.
Common combinations
- eugenic policies
- The government's eugenic policies were widely criticized.
- eugenic ideas
- Eugenic ideas influenced immigration laws at the time.
- eugenic movement
- The eugenic movement gained support in several countries.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hereditarian
- Hereditarian focuses on the role of heredity in human differences, while eugenic specifically refers to attempts to improve genetic quality through selective breeding.
Word family
- eugenics noun
- The discredited theory or practice of improving a population's genetic quality.
- eugenicist noun
- A person who supports or works for eugenic ideas.
Commonly confused: eugenic or genetic?
eugenic vs genetic
Genetic simply means related to genes or heredity; eugenic adds the idea of deliberately trying to improve a population's genetic makeup, which is now condemned.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'eugenic' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Eugenic describes policies or ideas about selective breeding to improve a population, so option 0 fits. The other options use eugenic in unrelated contexts where it makes no sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “eugenic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.