somatic

adjective

so·​mat·​ic sō-ˈma-tik 

sə-

1

: of, relating to, or affecting the body especially as distinguished from the germplasm

2

: of or relating to the wall of the body : parietal

somatically

sō-ˈma-ti-k(ə-)lē 

sə-

adverb

Synonyms

• animal
• bodily
• carnal
• corporal
• corporeal
• fleshly
• material
• physical

Examples of somatic in a Sentence

a somatic disorder that was once thought to be “all in the patient's head”

Recent Examples on the Web

Twigs also touched on how somatic healing runs through her Eusexua philosophy in an otherworldly collision on Spotify’s Countdown To podcast with singer-songwriter Imogen Heap. —Arimeta Diop, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025

Research shows that somatic movement can lead to significant pain reduction.11 What Is Somatic Pain? 4. —Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 9 Dec. 2024

Suspicious from the start Scientists had suspected since the discovery of DNA’s structure in the 1950s that genetic misspellings and other mutations accruing in non-reproductive, or somatic, tissues could help explain disease and aging. —Amber Dance, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Jan. 2025

Contrasting the epigenetic clock theory is a competing grand unifying theory that argues somatic mutations in DNA are the fundamental cause of aging. —New Atlas, 2 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Greek sōmatikos, from sōmat-, sōma

First Known Use

circa 1775, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing somatic

• somatic cell
• somatic symptom disorder

Rhymes for somatic

• asthmatic
• chromatic
• climatic
• dogmatic
• dramatic
• ecstatic
• emphatic
• erratic
• eustatic
• fanatic
• hepatic
• lymphatic

Kids Definition

somatic

adjective

so·​mat·​ic sō-ˈmat-ik 

sə-

: of, relating to, or affecting the body especially as compared to the mind or the tissue producing the germ cells

Medical Definition

somatic

adjective

so·​mat·​ic sō-ˈmat-ik, sə- 

1

a

: of, relating to, or affecting the body especially as distinguished from the germplasm : physical

b

: of, relating to, supplying, or involving skeletal muscles

the somatic nervous system

a somatic reflex

2

: of or relating to the wall of the body as distinguished from the viscera : parietal

somatically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb