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Synonyms

atavism

American  
[at-uh-viz-uhm] / ˈæt əˌvɪz əm /

noun

  1. Biology.

    1. the reappearance in an individual of characteristics of some remote ancestor that have been absent in intervening generations.

    2. an individual embodying such a reversion.

  2. reversion to an earlier type; throwback.


atavism British  
/ ˈætəˌvɪzəm, əˈtævɪk /

noun

  1. the recurrence in a plant or animal of certain primitive characteristics that were present in an ancestor but have not occurred in intermediate generations

  2. 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

Other Word Forms

  • atavic adjective
  • atavist noun

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

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

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

The result is civilization, art, music, scientific reasoning and philosophy, which often attempt to mitigate and improve on our genetic atavism.

From New York Times • Sep. 2, 2016

Enright understands adulthood as a kind of aberration that befalls families: siblings must grow up, but their maturity is oddly irrelevant to the atavism of the family unit.

From The New Yorker • May 18, 2015

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