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Synonyms

evolutionary

American  
[ev-uh-loo-shuh-ner-ee, ee-vuh-] / ˌɛv əˈlu ʃəˌnɛr i, ˌi və- /

adjective

  1. pertaining to evolution or development; developmental.

    the evolutionary origin of species.

  2. of, relating to, or in accordance with a theory of evolution, especially in biology.

  3. pertaining to or performing evolutions.


Other Word Forms

  • antievolutionary adjective
  • evolutionarily adverb
  • nonevolutionary adjective
  • preevolutionary adjective
  • proevolutionary adjective
  • unevolutionary adjective

Etymology

Origin of evolutionary

First recorded in 1840–50; evolution + -ary

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.

Musk got this “suicidal empathy” language from Gad Saad, a Canadian college professor who falsely presents himself as an “evolutionary behavioral scientist.”

From Salon

Newly examined fossils show that modern sharks began developing extremely large body sizes far earlier in their evolutionary timeline than scientists once thought.

From Science Daily

Because they were comparing species across a wide evolutionary range, the definition had to work universally.

From Science Daily

Companies have skimped on dividends amid an epic bull run for stock prices, leaving the S&P 500’s yield of just 1.1% looking like finance’s vestigial tailbone—an evolutionary holdover without a clear purpose.

From Barron's

They focused on primates - and apes in particular - in order to build an evolutionary picture of the origin of the human kiss.

From BBC