mutating
Undergoing genetic change
Mutating means undergoing or causing mutation—a change in form, nature, or genetic structure.
The word appears most often in scientific contexts, describing organisms or cells whose DNA is changing: The virus keeps mutating, making vaccines less effective.
More broadly, anything transforming into something different may be mutating: The company's strategy is mutating in response to market pressures.
Changing form entirely
- shiftingChanging position or form
- alteringMaking changes to
- modifyingChanging partially
- convertingChanging form or function
morphing · transitioning · evolving · adapting · reshaping · reconfiguring · fluctuating · varying
Thorough change in form
- metamorphosisProfound biological restructuring
- evolutionSpecies changing over generations
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- morphingSeamless visual transformation process
developing · growing · changing · differentiating · regenerating · shapeshifting · transmuting · cellular
Hereditary code molecule
- genesUnits of heredity
- chromosomesGene-bearing nuclear structures
- allelesVariant forms of genes
- nucleotidesDNA and RNA subunits
codons · base pairs · genotype · phenotype · replication · transcription · translation · recombination
transforming
Changing form entirely
converting · morphing · transitioning · evolving · adapting · reshaping · reconfiguring · fluctuating · varying · adjusting
transformation
Thorough change in form
- metamorphosisProfound biological restructuring
- evolutionSpecies changing over generations
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
morphing · developing · growing · changing · differentiating · regenerating · shapeshifting · transmuting · cellular · organism
DNA
Hereditary code molecule
- genesUnits of heredity
- chromosomesGene-bearing nuclear structures
- allelesVariant forms of genes
nucleotides · codons · base pairs · genotype · phenotype · replication · transcription · translation · recombination · polymerase
unpredictable
Cannot be anticipated
erratic · irregular · fluctuating · variable · inconsistent · turbulent · sporadic · anomalous · distorted · corrupted
virus
Microscopic infectious agent
- malwareHarmful computer programs
- codeSymbolic communication system
- algorithmFinite problem-solving procedure
software · AI · machine learning · adaptive · iterating · versioning · updating · patching · debugging · corrupting
- contagioncontagion, outbreak, epidemic, pandemic, spreading
- transitionstransition, blending, segue, fade, changeover
mutatingconserved
Kept from being used up
unvarying · wild-type · unmutated · error-free · uncorrupted
- gene mutationChange in DNA sequence
- genetic mutationHeritable DNA sequence change
- viral mutationChange in pathogen's genome
- random mutationUnplanned genetic change
- rare mutationUnusual change in DNA
- virus mutationAltered pathogen genetic sequence
mutation, transmutation, permutation, mutations, commutation, mutational