emer·gent
i-ˈmər-jənt 
1
a
: arising unexpectedly
b
: calling for prompt action : urgent
emergent danger
2
a
: rising out of or as if out of a fluid
emergent coastal islands
b
: rooted in shallow water and having most of its vegetative growth above water
an emergent plant
3
: arising as a natural or logical consequence
4
: newly formed or prominent
emergent nations
1
: something emergent
2
a
: a tree that rises above the surrounding forest
b
: an emergent plant
Examples of emergent in a Sentence
Adjective
since the problem was not seen as emergent, implementation of the expensive solution for it was continually put off
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott Huddleston, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Feb. 2026
Yet their emergent/instinctive choices about when to engage AI and how much authority to give it produced fundamentally different collaboration dynamics.
—François Candelon, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
Priya Oberoi, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
And one of the things that Christopher Alexander later did was this bottoms-up emergent of: How is this space actually used and modified?
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for emergent
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
Demographic data for 2024-25 shows that 74% of children in Northside’s pre-K program were economically disadvantaged; 26% were emergent bilingual; 16% were military children; 7% were in special education; 2% were homeless; and 2% were in foster care.
—Scott Huddleston, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Feb. 2026
Yet their emergent/instinctive choices about when to engage AI and how much authority to give it produced fundamentally different collaboration dynamics.
—François Candelon, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
Getty Images Women's sport and women's health enter 2026 not as emergent verticals but as structural components of a global economy under strain.
—Priya Oberoi, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
And one of the things that Christopher Alexander later did was this bottoms-up emergent of: How is this space actually used and modified?
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for emergent
Cite this Entry
“Emergent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emergent. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
emergent
adjective
emer·gent
i-ˈmər-jənt
: calling for prompt or urgent action
an emergent condition in a hemophiliac
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
