evolutionist

[ ev-uh-loo-shuh-nistor, especially British, ee-vuh- ]

noun

1. a person who believes in or supports a theory of evolution, especially in biology.
2. a person who supports a policy of gradual growth or development rather than sudden change or expansion.

adjective

1. of or relating to evolution or evolutionists.
2. believing in or supporting a theory of evolution, especially in biology.

evolutionist

/ ˌiːvəˈluːʃənɪst /

noun

1. a person who believes in a theory of evolution, esp Darwin's theory of the evolution of plant and animal species

adjective

1. of or relating to a theory of evolution

Derived Forms

• ˌevoˈlutionˌism, noun
• ˌevolutionˈistic, adjective

Other Words From

• evo·lution·ism noun
• evo·lution·isti·cal·ly adverb
• anti·evo·lution·ist noun adjective
• anti·evo·lution·istic adjective
• nonev·o·lution·ist noun
• preev·o·lution·ist noun
• proev·o·lution·ist adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of evolutionist¹

First recorded in 1855–60; evolution + -ist

Example Sentences

Unlike Darwin, many evolutionists in the late 1800s and early 1900s had theorized that the human family tree was rooted in Asia.

From Science News For Students

Unlike Darwin, many evolutionists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries had theorized that the human family tree was rooted in Asia.

From Science News

Considering cultural change in this way has led cultural evolutionists to rely heavily on the subfield of population genetics—and to use models that assume cultural continuity works solely through inheritance.

From Nautilus

I am a theist and an evolutionist, to be sure, but the combined term makes no sense to me.

From The Daily Beast

His wife was by his bedside every day, insisting they pray together, never mind that Ebert is an openly agnostic evolutionist.

From The Daily Beast

Such cases may be regarded by the evolutionist as exceptional, and he may invent some new hypothesis to account for them.

From Project Gutenberg

Favier himself, as will be seen, is an evolutionist after his own fashion, an evolutionist of a very daring type.

From Project Gutenberg

This principle the evolutionist applies to the whole universe which he says came in a similar way.

From Project Gutenberg

All these have been in turn combatted by other evolutionist writers, and the war goes on and has produced libraries of volumes.

From Project Gutenberg

Prof. Conn, an evolutionist, admits the presence of many facts disclosed by geology which oppose the theory of Evolution.

From Project Gutenberg