organic
organic — adjective
1. grown, raised, or made without man-made farm chemicals such as sprays or artific
grown, raised, or made without man-made farm chemicals such as sprays or artificial fertilizers
Mina buys organic apples from the Saturday market near her apartment.
collocation: organic apples
After dropping chemical sprays, the dairy started selling organic milk locally.
pattern: organic + food noun
Our school cook used organic eggs in the lunch sandwiches.
By July, Leo was selling organic tomatoes beside the bus station.
- organic vegetables
- organic milk
- organic farm
- organic farming
- go organic
- natural
broader and less exact; something natural is not always organically produced
- chemical-free
focuses on the absence of chemicals, not the full farming method
- pesticide-free
narrower; it talks only about pesticides, not all organic standards
- conventional
used for standard farming methods that may use artificial chemicals
- non-organic
the direct opposite label on food products
Grammar Patterns
organic food
organic farming
go organic
Usage Note
Usually before nouns such as food, milk, vegetables, and farm. In everyday use, it often suggests approved farming methods, not simply something that feels natural.
Common Mistakes
2. made by living things or taken from plants and animals rather than from minerals
made by living things or taken from plants and animals rather than from minerals
Dead leaves and grass add organic matter to the garden soil.
collocation: organic matter
The lab tested the red floor stain for organic material.
collocation: organic material
The brown dye is organic because workers made it from onion skins.
predicate adjective use
Kitchen waste turns into organic matter under the old apple tree.
- organic matter
- organic material
- organic waste
- organic residue
- biological
common in science, especially when the focus is on living systems
- living
simpler but less precise; it may describe something alive now, not just its source
- plant-based
narrower because it excludes animal sources
- inorganic
used for material that does not come from living things
Grammar Patterns
organic matter
organic material
organic waste
Usage Note
Often used with matter, material, or waste. Distinguish from sense 6: this sense points to living sources, while sense 6 is the chemistry label for carbon-containing substances.
Common Mistakes
3. used for a disease or problem in which an organ or body tissue has been damaged
used for a disease or problem in which an organ or body tissue has been damaged or changed
The scan showed organic damage to the boy's inner ear.
medical collocation: organic damage
Doctors ruled out an organic cause for Maya's stomach pain.
medical collocation: organic cause
After the brain scan, the clinic found no organic disorder behind Ken's memory loss.
The doctor linked Sam's memory loss to possible organic brain damage.
- organic disease
- organic cause
- organic damage
- organic brain disorder
- structural
often used when the body part itself has changed
- physical
broader and less exact than the medical label organic
- bodily
focuses on the body in general, not specifically on organ change
- functional
used when symptoms exist without a clear structural lesion
Grammar Patterns
organic disease
organic cause
organic damage
Usage Note
Common in medical writing with cause, damage, disease, and disorder. Distinguish from functional when doctors mean symptoms without a clear structural change.
Common Mistakes
4. developing step by step on its own instead of being pushed by a strict plan
developing step by step on its own instead of being pushed by a strict plan
Their friendship felt organic after months of easy after-school talks.
used after feel
The project took an organic shape as students shared new ideas.
collocation: organic shape
With no fixed script, the interview stayed organic and relaxed.
used after stay
Years of small changes made the garden's design feel organic.
- organic change
- organic development
- organic process
- organic growth
Grammar Patterns
organic growth
organic development
organic process
Usage Note
Often used for growth, change, development, or conversation. Distinguish from sense 5, which is a business term about company results.
5. describing business growth that comes from the company's own sales or work, not
describing business growth that comes from the company's own sales or work, not from buying another company
The chain reported organic growth in Japan without buying local rivals.
business collocation: organic growth
By spring, the brand showed organic growth as online orders increased.
through increased sales
Investors wanted organic growth instead of another expensive takeover.
contrast: growth vs takeover
After merger talks failed, the company returned to organic expansion.
- organic growth
- organic expansion
- organic sales growth
- organic revenue growth
- internal
highlights that the growth comes from inside the company
- self-generated
explains the idea clearly, though it is less common in business reports
- home-grown
more informal and sometimes used outside business contexts
Grammar Patterns
organic growth
organic expansion
organic sales growth
Usage Note
Mainly used in business reports with growth, sales, and expansion. It excludes growth that comes from mergers or acquisitions.
Common Mistakes
6. used in chemistry for a substance or compound that has carbon in it
used in chemistry for a substance or compound that has carbon in it
Our class studied organic compounds before the final science test.
collocation: organic compounds
The cleaner used an organic solvent to remove paint from the glass.
collocation: organic solvent
In lab class, Jia drew the carbon chain of an organic molecule.
chemistry context: molecule
At college, Ben switched from physics to organic chemistry.
collocation: organic chemistry
- organic compound
- organic molecule
- organic solvent
- organic chemistry
- carbon-based
a clear explanatory term, though less formal than organic in chemistry
- molecular
much broader; not every molecular substance is organic
- inorganic
the standard opposite term in chemistry
Grammar Patterns
organic compound
organic solvent
organic chemistry
Usage Note
Usually before chemistry nouns such as compound, molecule, solvent, and chemistry. Distinguish from sense 1: in science, organic is a technical term, not a farming label.
Common Mistakes
7. made of parts that are linked so closely that they work as one whole
made of parts that are linked so closely that they work as one whole
The old town feels organic, with streets, shops, and homes joined.
used after feel
After one more draft, her essay felt organic from start to finish.
used after feel
The dancers moved as one organic group across the dark stage.
collocation: organic group
Once the three rooms linked smoothly, the museum plan looked organic.
- organic whole
- organic structure
- organic unity
- organic group
- integrated
emphasizes that the parts work together in a planned or successful way
- unified
focuses on one clear whole, but is less vivid than organic
- interconnected
stresses the links between parts more than the whole effect
- fragmented
describes parts that are broken apart or fail to connect
- separate
a simpler opposite when the parts do not form one whole
Grammar Patterns
organic whole
organic structure
organic unity
Usage Note
Common in formal writing with whole, structure, group, and design. It often suggests that the parts fit naturally rather than being added separately.
organic — noun
1. plant- or animal-based material that farmers add to soil to help crops grow
plant- or animal-based material that farmers add to soil to help crops grow
Grandpa spread organics across the field before the rain came.
noun use: organics in farming
The gardener mixes organics into the soil every early spring.
pattern: organics into the soil
This shop sells organics for home gardeners who grow tomatoes in pots.
After class, Owen carried two bags of organics to the greenhouse.
- spread organics
- mix organics into soil
- bags of organics
- fertilizer
the broad everyday word; organics are one kind of fertilizer
- compost
a specific kind made from rotted plant matter
- manure
a specific animal-based fertilizer, not the full category
- chemical fertilizer
the opposite type, made with manufactured chemicals
Grammar Patterns
add organics to soil
spread organics on a field
Usage Note
Common in farming and gardening language. Often plural when speaking about soil-feeding materials in general.
Common Mistakes
2. food from farms that use organic growing methods
food from farms that use organic growing methods
At the night market, Carla chose organics for her children's lunch boxes.
shopping use: choose organics
This store displays local organics near the front door every morning.
store display context
Many shoppers pay more for organics when summer fruit first arrives.
pattern: pay more for organics
The cafe buys organics from two farms outside Tainan.
- buy organics
- local organics
- pay more for organics
- produce
often only fruit and vegetables, so it is narrower than organics
- natural food
a looser shopping label and not the same as certified organic food
- conventional food
food produced by ordinary non-organic farming methods
Grammar Patterns
buy organics
sell organics
pay more for organics
Usage Note
Usually plural in shop or market talk. It refers to organic food as a group, not to one single item.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- organicallyadverbC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
For sense 1, organic is the most exact word when food or farming follows rules that avoid man-made farm chemicals. Natural is much broader: a snack can be marketed as natural even if it is not organic. Chemical-free stresses the absence of chemicals, but it does not always tell you how the crops were grown or how animals were raised. Sustainable is wider still, because it focuses on long-term environmental practice and can include energy, water, and transport choices as well as farming. Use organic when the method of production matters most. You can say We buy organic vegetables from this farm, but We buy sustainable vegetables does not automatically mean the vegetables are organic.
Etymology
Organic entered English in the late Middle English period from Latin, which had taken it from Greek. The Greek source was organikos, built on organon, a word for a tool, instrument, or organ. Because of that history, organic first had links with organs and with parts working together. Later the word spread into biology, chemistry, medicine, and food production, which explains why modern English uses it in several quite different fields.