convergent evolution

American  

noun

1. the appearance of apparently similar structures in organisms of different lines of descent.

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convergent evolution Cultural  

1. The development through evolution of similar features by organisms with distinctly different ancestors. A common example of this is the evolution of wings in insects and birds.

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Etymology

Origin of convergent evolution

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

It’s an example of convergent evolution, when completely unrelated species independently evolve comparable traits in response to similar environmental pressures.

From Slate • Jan. 25, 2026

"The convergent evolution of crabs has happened about five times in history, but it's happened within the group of decapods."

From BBC • Oct. 17, 2025

This makes them striking examples of convergent evolution, where two evolutionarily distinct groups evolve similar characteristics due to similar environments and occupying similar niches.

From Salon • May 11, 2025

The similarities, they discovered, are an example of convergent evolution, the independent evolution of similar traits in different species.

From Science Daily • Mar. 18, 2024

There may be some convergent evolution because there may be only one best solution to a certain environmental problem— something like two eyes, for example, for binocular vision at optical frequencies.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan