genomics: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Low-to-medium (Specialized)Technical, academic, scientific, biomedical.
Quick answer
What does “genomics” mean?
The branch of biology that studies the complete set of genes (genome) within an organism and how they function and interact.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The branch of biology that studies the complete set of genes (genome) within an organism and how they function and interact.
The interdisciplinary science involving the mapping, sequencing, and analysis of genomes to understand their structure, function, evolution, and editing. Also refers to large-scale data-driven biology.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical or definition differences. The field is global and standardized. Spelling conventions (e.g., 'analyse' vs. 'analyze') apply in context.
Connotations
Neutral scientific term in both. UK may have historical associations with major projects like the Sanger Institute; US with NIH and private sector initiatives like Celera.
Frequency
Equally frequent in relevant academic and technical contexts in both regions. Rare in everyday conversation.
Grammar
How to Use “genomics” in a Sentence
[Noun] of genomicsgenomics + noun (e.g., genomics research)adjective + genomics (e.g., medical genomics)verb + genomics (e.g., apply genomics, study genomics)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “genomics” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The team aims to genomically characterise the pathogen.
- They are genomically engineering the strain.
American English
- The team aims to genomically characterize the pathogen.
- They are genomically engineering the strain.
adverb
British English
- The samples were analysed genomically.
American English
- The samples were analyzed genomically.
adjective
British English
- The genomic data was immense.
- A genomic medicine initiative.
American English
- The genomic data was immense.
- A genomic medicine initiative.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Refers to the biotech/pharma sector (e.g., 'investing in genomics startups', 'commercial genomics').
Academic
Core term in biology, medicine, bioinformatics (e.g., 'a paper on plant genomics', 'Department of Genomics').
Everyday
Very rare. Might appear in news about health or ancestry testing (e.g., 'genomics helped trace the outbreak').
Technical
Precise term for the field and its methodologies (e.g., 'shotgun genomics', 'genomics pipeline').
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “genomics”
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “genomics”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “genomics”
- Using 'genomics' as a plural noun (It is uncountable; e.g., 'Genomics is advancing' not 'Genomics are advancing').
- Confusing it with 'genetics' in formal writing.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Genetics traditionally studies the function and inheritance of single genes or a small number of genes. Genomics is the study of the entirety of an organism's genes (the genome), their interactions, and their collective function.
It is an uncountable singular noun (like 'physics'). Use singular verbs: 'Genomics is a complex field.'
A genomicist is a scientist who specialises in genomics. They analyse genomic data, sequence genomes, and research how genomes function and evolve.
No, the correct adjective is 'genomic' (e.g., genomic data, genomic sequencing). 'Genomics' is strictly a noun naming the field.
The branch of biology that studies the complete set of genes (genome) within an organism and how they function and interact.
Genomics is usually technical, academic, scientific, biomedical. in register.
Genomics: in British English it is pronounced /dʒɪˈnəʊmɪks/, and in American English it is pronounced /dʒɪˈnoʊmɪks/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a GENOME (all your genes) plus ICS (as in 'sciences' like physics or mathematics). Genomics is the science of genomes.
Conceptual Metaphor
GENOMICS IS A MAP/CODE/BLUEPRINT (e.g., 'mapping the genome', 'decoding the genome', 'genomic blueprint').
Practice
Quiz
Which field is most closely associated with the large-scale, computational analysis of complete sets of genetic material?