Meaning & use
invertebrates
Last updated
“invertebrates” is a form of “invertebrate”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounpluralbiology
Animals that have no backbone, such as insects, spiders, worms, snails and jellyfish.
Grammar: Plural form: invertebrates make up most animal species; singular is invertebrate.
Patterns
- marine invertebrates
- study invertebrates
Insects are by far the largest group of invertebrates.
The rock pool was full of small marine invertebrates.
Invertebrates lack a spine, but many have hard outer shells.
Word forms
| singular | invertebrate |
|---|
Common combinations
- marine invertebrates
- Sponges and sea stars are marine invertebrates.
- soil invertebrates
- Earthworms are important soil invertebrates.
- vertebrates and invertebrates
- The museum has displays of both vertebrates and invertebrates.
- freshwater invertebrates
- Researchers counted freshwater invertebrates to test the stream's health.
- tiny invertebrates
- Many birds feed on tiny invertebrates in the mud.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bugs
- Bugs is an informal word for small crawling animals, and is much narrower and less scientific than invertebrates.
- insects
- Insects are only one group within invertebrates, so invertebrates is the wider term.
- spineless animals
- This phrase is a loose, sometimes humorous description, whereas invertebrates is the scientific term.
Opposites
Word family
- invertebrate noun
- one animal without a backbone
- invertebrate adjective
- lacking a backbone
- vertebrate noun
- an animal with a backbone
- vertebra noun
- one of the bones that make up the spine
Commonly confused: invertebrates or vertebrates? invertebrates or insects?
invertebrates vs vertebrates
Vertebrates are the opposite group: fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, all with a backbone.
invertebrates vs insects
Insects are a type of invertebrate, but invertebrates also include worms, snails and jellyfish.
Practice
Which of these animals is an invertebrate?
Choose one answer.
A snail has no backbone, so it is an invertebrate. Frogs, sparrows and salmon all have backbones, which makes them vertebrates.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “invertebrates”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.