noun
mutant
MYOO-tuhnt
noun
1
An organism or thing that has changed due to a mutation, showing new characteristics.
"The lab isolated a mutant strain of the virus with an unusual resistance to the drug."
2
Informal: something or someone considered strange or abnormal.
"In the comic books, the superheroes are mutants with extraordinary powers."
adj
1
Having undergone or resulting from mutation.
"Scientists tracked how the mutant gene spread through the population."
How to Use Mutant
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomething changed by mutation, or informally, something strange or abnormal.
Common pairings
mutant gene
mutant strain
Word Forms
mutants plural
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The lab isolated a _____ strain of the virus with an unusual resistance to the drug.
Etymology
From Latin mutans, "changing," the present participle of the verb mutare, "to change."