embryonic

IPA/ˌembriˈɒnɪk/
KK[ˌɛmbriˈɑnɪk]IPA/ˌembriˈɑːnɪk/

embryonic — adjective

  • embryonicpositive
  • more embryoniccomparative
  • most embryonicsuperlative

1. only just beginning and not yet fully formed or organized

1.形容詞C2
釋義

only just beginning and not yet fully formed or organized

例句

City leaders backed an embryonic rail plan after two crowded summers.

collocation: embryonic rail plan

The club's science program is still embryonic but students already love it.

pattern: be still embryonic

同義詞
  • developing

    broader and more common for something that is growing or improving

  • nascent

    more formal and strongly focused on the first moment of emergence

  • rudimentary

    stresses that only the basic form exists so far

反義詞
  • mature

    fully developed rather than at an early stage

  • established

    already formed and working in a stable way

文法句型

embryonic plan

embryonic industry

embryonic stage

用法筆記

Usually placed before nouns such as plan, market, or system for something that has only recently started and is still weak or incomplete. Distinguish from adjective/2, which refers literally to embryos and very early life.

常見錯誤

❌The company is embryo and still very small.
✅The company is embryonic and still very small.
💡embryo is a noun; embryonic is the adjective for something in its earliest stage.
❌The project is embryonic completed now.
✅The project is still embryonic.
💡embryonic describes something unfinished, not something already complete.

2. connected with an embryo or with life before a young animal is born or hatches

2.形容詞C2
釋義

connected with an embryo or with life before a young animal is born or hatches

例句

Doctors studied embryonic cells to learn how the heart first forms.

collocation: embryonic cells

The scan showed an embryonic spine beginning to curve normally.

pattern: embryonic + body part

文法句型

embryonic cells

embryonic tissue

embryonic development

用法筆記

Mostly used in biology or medicine before nouns such as tissue, cells, or development. Distinguish from adjective/1, which uses the word metaphorically for plans or systems that are only starting to form.

常見錯誤

❌The doctor studied embryo tissue.
✅The doctor studied embryonic tissue.
💡embryo is the noun; embryonic describes the tissue.
❌The chick was still embryonic after it hatched.
✅The chick was no longer embryonic after it hatched.
💡embryonic refers to the stage before birth or hatching.