genetically predisposed
- adjective
- /dʒəˈnɛtɪkli prɪˈdɪspoʊzd/
- Specialized
- The caption at the bottom said, "A. F. Young, M.D. Psychiatrist." Anna said, "Ms. Lopez has always been genetically predisposed to the development of a variant of borderline personality disorder."
- genetically predisposed individuals
And I, I don't think that it's as genetically predisposed as we might think it is addictive traits and things like that.
- And I, I don't think that it's as genetically predisposed as we might think it is addictive traits and things like that.
Examples
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Recent studies have shown that some individuals are genetically predisposed to developing certain health issues, like diabetes.
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Furthermore, whether someone genetically predisposed to hypertension actually develops symptoms depends a lot on lifestyle.
Academic text (1991) -
-Recent studies have shown that certain people are genetically predisposed to gaining weight.
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Some individuals, both men and women, are genetically predisposed to produce more DHT than normal individuals.
Blog text (12) -
Did you know that some people are genetically predisposed to dislike cilantro?
Blog text (7) -
New research in Nature suggests redheads may be genetically predisposed to melanoma, even if they never see a ray of UV light.
Blog text (18) -
People who are genetically predisposed to certain conditions may benefit from early medical screenings.
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Children who are genetically predisposed to allergies should be monitored closely for any allergic reactions.
Synonyms
Likely to develop a health problem because of genes or environment
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'genetically' specifies the cause (by genes) and 'predisposed' indicates a tendency or likelihood, so together they mean having an inherited tendency. This compositional pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a learner who knows both words should understand the phrase.
Etymology
Genetically predisposed comes from the image of genes as tiny seeds or a family blueprint passed from parents; having those seeds means you are genetically marked and so predisposed. So, genetically predisposed means 'having an inherited tendency to develop' a condition.