re·ces·sive
ri-ˈse-siv 
1
a
: tending to recede
2
a
: producing little or no phenotypic effect when occurring in heterozygous condition with a contrasting allele
recessive genes
b
: expressed only when the determining gene is in the homozygous condition
recessive traits
a recessive disease
recessively
adverb
recessiveness
noun
1
: an organism possessing one or more recessive characters
2
: a recessive character or gene
Synonyms
Examples of recessive in a Sentence
Adjective
a recessive genius who was most comfortable working alone in his chemistry lab
Recent Examples on the Web
Ingrid Barnes, refinery29.com, 20 Feb. 2024
The question goes on to refer to the dominant trait as walking with a limp and the recessive trait as normal.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacramento Bee, 10 July 2024
Holland Cotter, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Apart from her, the non-popular kids seemed mostly bland and recessive.
—Mary Gaitskill, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for recessive 
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Adjective
My condition, recessive Retinitis Pigmentosa, leaves me with a four-degree central field of tunnel vision, which will go away with time.
—Ingrid Barnes, refinery29.com, 20 Feb. 2024
The question goes on to refer to the dominant trait as walking with a limp and the recessive trait as normal.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacramento Bee, 10 July 2024
Noun
The big, accessible Now dominates a recessive, endangered Then.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Apart from her, the non-popular kids seemed mostly bland and recessive.
—Mary Gaitskill, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for recessive
Dictionary Entries Near recessive
Cite this Entry
“Recessive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recessive. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
recessive
1 of 2 adjective
re·ces·sive
ri-ˈses-iv
1
: tending to go back
2
: producing a bodily characteristic (as eye color) when homozygous and not masked by a copy of the gene that is dominant
recessive genes
also
: exhibited by the body only when the determining gene is homozygous
blue eye color is a recessive trait
recessively
adverb
recessiveness
noun
recessive
2 of 2 noun1
: a recessive characteristic or gene
2
: an individual that has one or more recessive characteristics
Medical Definition
recessive
1 of 2 adjective
re·ces·sive
ri-ˈses-iv
1
: producing little or no phenotypic effect when occurring in heterozygous condition with a contrasting allele
recessive genes
2
: expressed only when the determining gene is in the homozygous condition
recessive traits
recessively
adverb
recessiveness
noun
recessive
2 of 2 noun1
: a recessive character or gene
2
: an organism possessing one or more recessive characters
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