birth defect

NOUN

congenital abnormality

Synonyms

WEAK

abnormality congenital anomaly congenital defect congenital malformation deformity disability mutation

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mr. Rodríguez Castro, known as “El Cangrejo”—the crab—because of a birth defect, never finished school.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

He was diagnosed with short bowel syndrome, an incurable disease caused by a birth defect, and Ms Ogg was told he would not survive the night.

From BBC • Dec. 7, 2025

During one session, the parents of a daughter with schizencephaly quadriplegia, a rare birth defect, witnessed her successfully feed herself using the system.

From Science Daily • May 9, 2024

Carl is no stranger to health issues: She was born with a spinal birth defect and went through six years of successful treatment for stage four non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 6, 2023

From the moment she learned that she was pregnant, my grandmother was again tormented by fears that the baby would suffer a hideous birth defect.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides