Darwinian

American  

[dahr-win-ee-uhn] / dɑrˈwɪn i ən /

adjective

1. (sometimes lowercase) pertaining to Charles Darwin or his doctrines.

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noun

1. a follower of Charles Darwin; a person who accepts or advocates Darwinism.

Darwinian British  

/ dɑːˈwɪnɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Charles Darwin or his theory of evolution by natural selection

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noun

1. a person who accepts, supports, or uses this theory

Other Word Forms

• anti-Darwinian noun
• non-Darwinian adjective
• post-Darwinian adjective
• pre-Darwinian adjective
• pro-Darwinian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Darwinian

First recorded in 1855–60; Darwin + -ian

Example Sentences

"The world has become very Darwinian again," he warned.

From Barron's

Warren Buffett’s explanation of why the conglomerate held on to businesses that more “Darwinian” investors might have cut loose made sense—it engendered valuable goodwill.

From The Wall Street Journal

What I've noticed this week is there's a Darwinian selection about the people who have come to the conference in Manchester.

From BBC

“Survivor” bowed for the first time before 9/11 and established itself as a Darwinian experiment with the motto “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast.”

From Salon

The pain Deborah inflicts on Ava is at once very personal and notoriously endemic to the entertainment business, a Darwinian factory that demands round-the-clock creative labor.

From Salon