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Synonyms

atavistic

American  
[at-uh-vis-tik] / ˌæt əˈvɪs tɪk /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or characterized by atavism; reverting to or suggesting the characteristics of a remote ancestor or primitive type.

atavistic British  
/ ˌætəˈvɪstɪk /

adjective

  1. of or relating to reversion to a former or more primitive type

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
atavistic Scientific  
/ ăt′ə-vĭs′tĭk /

  1. Relating to an inherited trait that reappears in an individual after being absent from a strain of organism for several generations. Atavistic traits were formerly thought to be throwbacks to ancestral types but are now known to be due to the inheritance of a pair of recessive genes.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of atavistic

First recorded in 1870–75; atav(ism) + -istic

Explanation

Are you scared of the dark? It's okay. That is quite a natural atavistic fear — that is, a fear related to an ancient way of thinking or behaving. Something atavistic doesn't have to be a feeling; it can be anything that's a throwback to an earlier form of life or way of looking at things. For example, a new building can be atavistic if it contains strong elements of ancient architectural styles. A physical genealogical trait handed down from many generations is also atavistic. For example, the pointed canine teeth in humans, originally used to tear meat apart when hunting, is an atavistic trait in mankind.

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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.

The expanded assemblage has toured in Europe and North America, and a vital album — “Electric Ascension,” credited to Rova::Orkestrova — was released on Atavistic in 2005.

From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2016

Atavistic impulses and contradictions of her blood welled confusedly up within her.

From The Roof Tree by Conrey, Lee F.

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.