Darwin

American  

[dahr-win] / ˈdɑr wɪn /

noun

1. Charles (Robert), 1809–82, English naturalist and author.

2. his grandfather Erasmus, 1731–1802, English naturalist and poet.

3. a seaport in and the capital of Northern Territory, in N Australia.

---

Darwin ¹ British  

/ ˈdɑːwɪn /

noun

1. Former name (1869–1911): Palmerston.  a port in N Australia, capital of the Northern Territory: destroyed by a cyclone in 1974 but rebuilt on the same site. Pop: 71 347 (2001)

---

Darwin ² British  

/ ˈdɑːwɪn /

noun

1. Charles ( Robert ). 1809–82, English naturalist who formulated the theory of evolution by natural selection, expounded in On the Origin of Species (1859) and applied to man in The Descent of Man (1871)

2. his grandfather, Erasmus. 1731–1802, English physician and poet; author of Zoonomia, or the Laws of Organic Life (1794–96), anticipating Lamarck's views on evolution

3. Sir George Howard , son of Charles Darwin. 1845–1912, English astronomer and mathematician noted for his work on tidal friction

---

Darwin Scientific  

/ där′wĭn /

1. British naturalist who proposed the theory of evolution based on natural selection (1858). Darwin's theory, that random variation of traits within an individual species can lead to the development of new species, revolutionized the study of biology.

---

Other Word Forms

• anti-Darwin adjective
• pro-Darwin adjective

Example Sentences

Charles Darwin, with his ideas of undirected variation and natural selection, described what was really happening.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

These included mammals, reptiles, fish, jellyfish, and shrimp collected by Darwin and other naturalists during early scientific expeditions.

From Science Daily • Mar. 5, 2026

Claire Darwin KC, for the claimants, said that the Met's decision allowed it to create a "blacklist".

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026

In 2002, a former math and science teacher and prison guard named John Darwin paddled a kayak into the North Sea from his home in Seaton Carew, England, and disappeared.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026

He had the square, handsome face of his father, the porcelain complexion of his mother, and the dense overhang of eyebrows that ran in the Darwin family over generations.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee