From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcongenitalcon‧gen‧i‧tal /kənˈdʒenətl/ adjective [usually before noun] 1 MIa congenital medical condition or disease has affected someone since they were born congenital abnormalities a congenital defect2 CHARACTER/PERSONALITYa congenital quality is one that has always been part of your character and is unlikely to change He’s a congenital liar. her congenital inability to make decisions —congenitally adverb
Examples from the Corpus
congenital• The congenital apathetic inefficiency bred by the regime as the best way of keeping people down had also delayed the demolition process.• a congenital birth defect• Admittedly, the back condition responsible is partly congenital, but that can not disguise the root cause, namely over-use.• a rare congenital disorder• The swop did not come to light until Arlena, who suffered from a congenital heart defect, had to undergo surgery.• Now her congenital hip problem left the number two guard spot wide open for next year.• This contrasts with developmental dyslexia which is an impairment, possibly congenital, in learning to read in the first place.• The city seems to have a congenital inferiority complex.• Instead, she became a congenital role model.• There was that Fall, back there, in the Garden, and we have all been congenital sinners ever sInce.• Whether this was congenital, stemmed from growing up around a grocery store, or nerve induced, she sometimes wondered.congenital liar• A day didn't pass now during which it failed to occur to her that she had borne two congenital liars.• Safire, who ungentlemanly called Hillary a congenital liar, knows something of which he speaks.• Of course, in that environment, being a congenital liar was small potatoes.Origin congenital (1700-1800) Latin congenitus, from com- ( → COM-) + genitus (past participle of gignere; → GENITAL) 