as in mutualistic
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Recent Examples of commensal
For example, cleaning stations are mutualistic while hitchhiking is commensal.
—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
2 Feb. 2026
This represents a prey pathway in the domestication process in addition to a commensal one.
—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
11 June 2025
According to some biologists, this might show that these birds are on their way to becoming commensal with humans—benefiting from living closely alongside them—like pigeons have in urban areas.
—
Jorge Garay,
Wired News,
29 May 2025
In commensal domestication, however, humans unintentionally create an environment that attracts the animal.
—
Gemma Tarlach,
Discover Magazine,
8 Nov. 2016
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
2 Feb. 2026
This represents a prey pathway in the domestication process in addition to a commensal one.
—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
11 June 2025
According to some biologists, this might show that these birds are on their way to becoming commensal with humans—benefiting from living closely alongside them—like pigeons have in urban areas.
—
Jorge Garay,
Wired News,
29 May 2025
In commensal domestication, however, humans unintentionally create an environment that attracts the animal.
—
Gemma Tarlach,
Discover Magazine,
8 Nov. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commensal
Adjective
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By comparing interspecies cooperation with communication systems found within species and in other mutualistic relationships, the authors provide a broader framework for understanding how cooperation emerges and persists.
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This suggests that the mutualistic relationship is obligatory for the host but facultative for the endosymbiont (see also coral bleaching).
Adjective
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In India, the country is obsessed with cricket and Bollywood movies, which share a symbiotic relationship that has proven to be a major obstacle in attempts to build soccer’s popularity.
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Kombucha Kombucha is made by combining tea with sugar, which serves as food for the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY) during fermentation.
Adjective
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Some states have started to broaden these rules to allow candidates to use campaign funds for other dependent care, too, like elder care.
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Car companies and their supply chains are particularly dependent on the movement of goods through USMCA and have been in the crosshairs of the administration's tariff policy.
Cite this Entry
“Commensal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commensal. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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