Phrase guide

complementary DNA

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

DNA produced from a single-stranded RNA template in a reaction catalyzed by the enzyme reverse transcriptase.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: biology, genetics, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cDNA

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

single-stranded DNA that is complementary to messenger RNA or DNA that has been synthesized from messenger RNA by reverse transcriptase

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cDNA

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: deoxyribonucleic acid, desoxyribonucleic acid, DNA

Narrower terms: provirus, dscDNA

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.