synthetic lethality

noun

A type of genetic interaction in which two (or more) mutations which are not lethal when occurring singly in a cell are lethal when they occur together in the same cell.

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Meanings

nounsynthetic lethality (usually uncountable, plural synthetic lethalities)

plural synthetic lethalities

  1. uncountableusuallybiologyA type of genetic interaction in which two (or more) mutations which are not lethal when occurring singly in a cell are lethal when they occur together in the same cell.
Cite this entry
APA

synthetic lethality. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/synthetic%20lethality

MLA

“synthetic lethality.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/synthetic%20lethality. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “synthetic lethality,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/synthetic%20lethality.

Source: synthetic lethality on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.