Emergent

//ɪˈmɜːd͡ʒənt// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A plant whose root system grows underwater, but whose shoot, leaves and flowers grow up and above the water.
Adjective
  1. 1
    Emerging; coming into view or into existence; nascent; new.
  2. 2
    Arising unexpectedly, especially if also calling for immediate reaction.

    "The chief precepts of their priests enjoin the strict keeping of their Lents, which are at least seven months in every year, and are not to be dispensed with on the most emergent necessity. Letter 43"

  3. 3
    Constituting an emergency. especially

    "Therefore, patients with ulcerative colitis should ideally be treated before they become emergent cases with toxic megacolon or perforation of the colon."

  4. 4
    Taller than the surrounding vegetation.
  5. 5
    Having leaves and flowers above the water.
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    Having gameplay that arises from its mechanics, rather than a linear storyline.

    "In short, emergent games are ones that allow a huge range of possibilities and don't dictate a strict, linear flow of events. A strategy game is emergent because so many units can interact and have some effect on each other."

  2. 7
    That arises at a higher level than that of its components and is not explainable by the behaviour of said components taken individually; having properties as a whole that are more complex than the properties contributed by each of the components individually.

    "an emergent property"

Adjective
  1. 1
    coming into existence wordnet
  2. 2
    occurring unexpectedly and requiring urgent action wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
emergingacuteapproachingarisingascendingcharged

Example

More examples

"Some 1,500 representatives attending the 30th International Red Cross and Red Crescent Conference have unanimously adopted a resolution that reaffirms the Geneva Conventions guaranteeing certain basic rights and protections for people caught in armed conflict. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA the week-long conference also agreed to tackle the humanitarian consequences resulting from disasters such as climate change and emergent diseases."

Etymology

From Latin ēmergēns, present participle of ēmergō. The medical sense is a back-formation from emergency.

Related phrases

emergent countingemergent literacy

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.