holometabolous

adjective

ho·​lo·​me·​tab·​o·​lous ˌhō-lō-mə-ˈta-bə-ləs How to pronounce holometabolous (audio)
ˌhä-
: characterized by complete metamorphosis
holometabolous insects
compare hemimetabolous
holometabolism
ˌhō-lō-mə-ˈta-bə-ˌli-zəm How to pronounce holometabolous (audio)
ˌhä-
noun

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Greek hol- + metabolos changeable, from metabolē change — more at metabolism

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of holometabolous was in 1870

Browse Nearby Words

holometabolism
holometabolous
holometaboly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Holometabolous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holometabolous. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Medical Definition

holometabolous

adjective
ho·​lo·​me·​tab·​o·​lous ˌhō-lō-mə-ˈtab-ə-ləs How to pronounce holometabolous (audio) ˌhäl-ō- How to pronounce holometabolous (audio)
: having complete metamorphosis
holometabolous insects
compare hemimetabolous
holometabolism
-ˌliz-əm How to pronounce holometabolous (audio)
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of deepfake

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All