atavism
Americannoun
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Biology.
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the reappearance in an individual of characteristics of some remote ancestor that have been absent in intervening generations.
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an individual embodying such a reversion.
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reversion to an earlier type; throwback.
noun
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the recurrence in a plant or animal of certain primitive characteristics that were present in an ancestor but have not occurred in intermediate generations
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reversion to a former or more primitive type
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of atavism
First recorded in 1825–35; from Latin atav(us) “great-great-great grandfather; remote ancestor, forefather” ( at-, akin to atta familiar name for a grandfather, “grampa” + avus “grandfather, ancestor”) + -ism
Explanation
Atavism is a return to a previous way of doing, saying, or seeing things. It can be casual, like wearing retro clothing and listening to vinyl records, or committed, like living in a straw hut without electricity. It makes sense that atavism comes from a Latin word meaning “forefather,” since it refers to a way of doing things like our ancestors did them. It’s often used negatively, though, to refer to behavior the speaker finds primitive or unacceptable. Atavists are often called "throwbacks." In biology, the term atavism or “evolutionary throwback” is used when animals are born with features that had disappeared, such as legs on a whale.
Vocabulary lists containing atavism
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Evolutionary Biology - High School
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Challenge, List 7
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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.
His atavism came with the weekend’s most polish.
From Slate • May 30, 2023
They pick up a female Native American auto mechanic along the way, but her survival smarts, and her ethics, run up against the increasing atavism they encounter.
From New York Times • Aug. 9, 2018
In movies, food is rarely just food — it is a way of signaling obsession and atavism, consumption and desire.
From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2018
Kid jurisprudence works the same way: it’s an atavism.
From The New Yorker • Mar. 21, 2016
As if it came from an atavism deeper than fear, I used to add “brother” silently to boys’ names.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
