adj · 4 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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˈɛm.bɹi.ɒn.ɪk/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:EH2 M B R IY0 AA1 N IH0 K
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Of or relating to an embryo.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: embryology, medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Of a project, etc: very new and still evolving; yet to reach its full potential.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adjective satellite
Meaning 3
in an early stage of development
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the embryonic government staffed by survivors of the massacre
an embryonic nation, not yet self-governing
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: embryotic
Antonyms: none provided
4
adjective satellite
Meaning 4
of an organism prior to birth or hatching
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
in the embryonic stage
embryologic development
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: embryologic, embryonal
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From New Latin embryonicus.
Across languages
Translations
43 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Asturian:
embrionariu
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Belarusian:
эмбрыяна́льны
(embryjanálʹny)
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Catalan:
embrionari
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Chinese Mandarin:
胚胎的
(pēitāi de)
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Czech:
zárodečný
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Czech:
embryonální
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Danish:
embryonal
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Dutch:
embryonaal
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Esperanto:
embria
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Finnish:
embryonaalinen
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
French:
embryonnaire
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Galician:
embrionario
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
German:
embryonal
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Greek:
εμβρυϊκός
(emvryïkós)
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Hungarian:
embrionális
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Italian:
embrionario
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Italian:
embrionico
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Italian:
embrionale
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Latvian:
embrionāls
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Persian:
رویانی
(ruyāni)
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Polish:
embrionalny
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Polish:
zarodkowy
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Portuguese:
embrionário
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Portuguese:
embriónico
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Russian:
эмбриона́льный
(embrionálʹnyj)
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Russian:
заро́дышевый
(zaródyševyj)
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Spanish:
embrionario
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Swedish:
embryonal
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Ukrainian:
ембріона́льний
(embrionálʹnyj)
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Ukrainian:
зародко́вий
(zarodkóvyj)
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Volapük:
brüomik
— embryology: of or relating to an embryo
Belarusian:
эмбрыяна́льны
(embryjanálʹny)
— figuratively: something, especially a project, that is very new and is still evolving
Czech:
zárodečný
— figuratively: something, especially a project, that is very new and is still evolving
Czech:
embryonální
— figuratively: something, especially a project, that is very new and is still evolving
Finnish:
alullaan oleva
— figuratively: something, especially a project, that is very new and is still evolving
French:
embryonnaire
— figuratively: something, especially a project, that is very new and is still evolving
Greek:
εμβρυϊκός
(emvryïkós)
— figuratively: something, especially a project, that is very new and is still evolving
Hungarian:
embrionális
— figuratively: something, especially a project, that is very new and is still evolving
Polish:
zarodkowy
— figuratively: something, especially a project, that is very new and is still evolving
Russian:
заро́дышевый
(zaródyševyj)
— figuratively: something, especially a project, that is very new and is still evolving
Spanish:
embrionario
— figuratively: something, especially a project, that is very new and is still evolving
Ukrainian:
ембріона́льний
(embrionálʹnyj)
— figuratively: something, especially a project, that is very new and is still evolving
Ukrainian:
зародко́вий
(zarodkóvyj)
— figuratively: something, especially a project, that is very new and is still evolving
