genesisEnglishOxford American Thesaurusgenesis noun 1 the hatred had its genesis in something darker: origin, source, root, beginning, commencement, start, outset. 2 the influence of a childhood trauma on the subsequent genesis of neurosis: formation, emergence, development, evolution, coming into being, inception, origination, birth, creation, shaping, formulation, invention, engendering, generation, propagation.