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View synonyms for Darwinism

Darwinism

[ dahr-wuh-niz-uhm ]

noun

  1. the Darwinian theory that species originate by descent, with variation, from parent forms, through the natural selection of those individuals best adapted for the reproductive success of their kind.


Darwinism

/ ˈdɑːwɪˌnɪzəm /

noun

  1. the theory of the origin of animal and plant species by evolution through a process of natural selection Compare Lamarckism See also Neo-Darwinism
“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


Darwinism

/ därwĭ-nĭz′əm /

  1. A theory of biological evolution developed by Charles Darwin and others, stating that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual's ability to compete, survive, and reproduce. Darwin's ideas have been refined and modified by subsequent researchers, but his theories still form the foundation of the scientific understanding of the evolution of life. Darwinism is often contrasted with another theory of biological evolution called Lamarckism, based on the now-discredited ideas of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.
  2. See Note at evolution


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Derived Forms

  • ˌDarwinˈistic, adjective
  • ˈDarwinist, nounadjective
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Other Words From

  • Darwin·ist Dar·win·ite [dahr, -w, uh, -nahyt], noun adjective
  • Darwin·istic adjective
  • anti-Darwin·ism noun
  • anti-Darwin·ist noun adjective
  • pro-Darwin·ism noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Darwinism1

First recorded in 1855–60; Darwin + -ism
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Example Sentences

The scientific consensus around Darwinism was representative of larger cultural trends that worried conservatives.

From Time

Steeped in social Darwinism, Mellon viewed the acquisition of wealth as a mark of merit and poverty as a failure of character.

A prediction for the date of the president's ouster, a lawsuit against Darwinism and other terrific ideas from America's fringe.

But in our past there has been another term for it - Social Darwinism, every man and woman for him or herself.

Our Constitution, Holmes famously wrote, does not enact social Darwinism.

He is a not just a grinning creationist, he is also willing to disdain Darwinism with a sinister pugnacity.

At a time when Darwinism was bringing a sword into the intellectual world, he lived apparently uninterested and untouched by it.

Only the other day I read in my newspaper the triumphant proclamation of some clergyman that "Darwinism" had been overthrown.

Among these are several on anthropology, on political economy, and even on Darwinism.

One of the speakers, a clergyman, said that Darwinism and infidelity were responsible for criminal driving.

He thinks that if he can prove that the evolutionists kill people, he will have disproved Darwinism.

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DarwinianDarwin's finches