Meanings
- uncountablebiologyA social philosophy or practice which advocates the improvement of human hereditary qualities through selective breeding, either by encouraging people with superior genetic qualities to reproduce (positive eugenics), or discouraging people with inferior genetic qualities from reproducing (negative eugenics), or by technological means.
In keeping with the goals of the new eugenics movement, McCulloch was claiming to offer scientific evidence of the incorrigibility of poor rural whites.
2006, Matt Wray, Not Quite White, page 771 more example
The eugenics mania that swept the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries led to forced sterilizations and the passage of laws in 27 states designed to limit the numbers of those considered genetically unfit: immigrants, Jews, African-Americans, the mentally ill and those deemed “morally delinquent.”
2018 October 16, John Blake, “When Americans tried to breed a better race: How a genetic fitness ‘crusade’ marches on”, in CNN
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe study of methods of improving genetic qualities by selective breeding (especially as applied to human mating)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Afrikaans eugenetika
- eugenetikasocial philosophy
Arabic تَحْسِين نَسْل
- تَحْسِين نَسْل (taḥsīn nasl)social philosophy
Basque eugenesia
- eugenesiasocial philosophy
Bulgarian евгеника
- евгеника (evgenika)social philosophy
Catalan eugenèsia
- eugenèsiasocial philosophy
Chinese Mandarin 優生學 /优生学, 善種學 /善种学
- 優生學 /优生学 (yōushēngxué)social philosophy
- 善種學 /善种学 (shànzhǒngxué)social philosophy
Czech eugenika
- eugenikasocial philosophy
Danish eugenik
- eugeniksocial philosophy
Dutch eugenetica
- eugeneticasocial philosophy
Esperanto eŭgeniko
- eŭgenikosocial philosophy
Estonian eugeenika
- eugeenikasocial philosophy
Finnish rodunjalostusoppi, eugeniikka
- rodunjalostusoppisocial philosophy
- eugeniikkasocial philosophy
- rotuhygieniasocial philosophy
French eugénisme
- eugénismesocial philosophy
German Eugenik, Eugenetik
- Eugeniksocial philosophy
- Eugenetiksocial philosophy
- Rassenhygienesocial philosophy
Greek ευγονική
- ευγονική (evgonikí)social philosophy
Hebrew אֵאוּגֵנִיקָה
- אֵאוּגֵנִיקָה ('e'ugeniqá)social philosophy
Hungarian eugenika
- eugenikasocial philosophy
Icelandic mannkynbætur
- mannkynbætursocial philosophy
Indonesian eugenika, eugenetika
- eugenikasocial philosophy
- eugenetikasocial philosophy
Irish eoiginic
- eoiginicsocial philosophy
Italian eugenetica
- eugeneticasocial philosophy
Japanese 優生学
- 優生学 (yūseigaku)social philosophy
Korean 우생학
- 우생학 (usaenghak)social philosophy
Latin eugenica
- eugenicasocial philosophy
Latvian eigēnika
- eigēnikasocial philosophy
Lithuanian eugenika
- eugenikasocial philosophy
Malay eugenika, eugenik
- eugenikasocial philosophy
- eugeniksocial philosophy
Norwegian eugenikk
- eugenikksocial philosophy
Polish eugenika
- eugenikasocial philosophy
Portuguese eugenia
- eugeniasocial philosophy
Romanian eugenism
- eugenismsocial philosophy
Russian евгеника
- евгеника (jevgenika)social philosophy
Slovak eugenika
- eugenikasocial philosophy
Spanish eugenesia, eugénica
- eugenesiasocial philosophy
- eugénicasocial philosophy
Swedish eugenik, rashygien
- eugeniksocial philosophy
- rashygiensocial philosophy
Tagalog butinsuplingan
- butinsuplingansocial philosophy
Thai สุพันธุศาสตร์
- สุพันธุศาสตร์social philosophy
Turkish öjenik
- öjeniksocial philosophy
Ukrainian євгеніка
- євгеніка (jevhenika)social philosophy
Vietnamese thuyết ưu sinh
- thuyết ưu sinhsocial philosophy
Welsh ewgeneg
- ewgenegsocial philosophy
Cite this entry
eugenics. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eugenics
“eugenics.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eugenics. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “eugenics,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eugenics.
Source: eugenics on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.