mutant
mutant — noun
1. a living thing — such as a plant, animal, or cell — whose DNA has undergone a pe
a living thing — such as a plant, animal, or cell — whose DNA has undergone a permanent change, giving it features that differ from the normal type of its species.
Tunde's team discovered a mutant strain of bacteria that could break down plastic waste.
scientific: mutant strain of bacteria
The mutant frog had an extra set of legs, puzzling the researchers at the lab.
Ritu was born with a mutant gene that gives her natural immunity to a rare disease.
Antonia examined the mutant wheat plants to see why they resisted the fungus.
文法句型
a mutant + noun (e.g. mutant gene, mutant strain)
用法筆記
Common in biology and science fiction. In popular culture, a mutant is often imagined as a person with superhuman abilities caused by genetic mutation.
常見錯誤
2. something that looks or feels unnatural, strange, and frightening — like a monst
something that looks or feels unnatural, strange, and frightening — like a monster in a horror story, or a person whose appearance or behaviour shocks others.
In the horror movie, a mutant with glowing yellow eyes crawled out of the sewer.
figurative: mutant as a monster in fiction
Quinn described the old warehouse as a mutant of rusting metal and rotting wood.
figurative pattern: a mutant of + noun phrase
Yuna felt like a social mutant after moving to a town where nobody spoke her language.
The old bridge was a mutant of concrete and rusting cables that no one dared to cross.
文法句型
a mutant of + (qualities)
describe + someone/something + as a mutant
用法筆記
This sense is figurative and informal. It carries a strong negative emotional tone. Unlike sense 1, it has no connection to genetics or science.
mutant — adjective
1. describes a living thing — a plant, animal, cell, or gene — whose genetic materi
describes a living thing — a plant, animal, cell, or gene — whose genetic material has changed permanently, so it no longer matches the normal type of its species.
Christopher spent the afternoon studying the mutant cells under a microscope.
attributive: mutant cells
The mutant corn plants grew twice as tall as the ordinary ones in the field.
Élise fed the mutant mice a special diet to see how their bodies would react.
Tamar planted the mutant seeds in separate pots to track their growth each week.
- mutated
emphasises the process of change rather than the resulting type
- genetically modified
broader; can refer to deliberate human intervention, not just natural mutation
文法句型
mutant + noun (describing a living thing with genetic changes)
用法筆記
Frequently used before a noun (attributive position). This is the most common form of the word in scientific writing. Do not confuse with 'mutated' — 'mutant' describes a state or type, while 'mutated' is the past participle emphasising the action of having changed.