evolutionary
Americanadjective
-
pertaining to evolution or development; developmental.
the evolutionary origin of species.
-
of, relating to, or in accordance with a theory of evolution, especially in biology.
-
pertaining to or performing evolutions.
Other Word Forms
- antievolutionary adjective
- evolutionarily adverb
- nonevolutionary adjective
- preevolutionary adjective
- proevolutionary adjective
- unevolutionary adjective
Etymology
Origin of evolutionary
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.
"A similar evolutionary pattern has been documented in other animal groups," said Lerosey-Aubril.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
The research team constructed the first evolutionary tree for decapodiformes based on genome sequences from nearly all major lineages.
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
Rhinoceroses have a long evolutionary history spanning more than 40 million years, once inhabiting nearly every continent except South America and Antarctica.
From Science Daily • Mar. 24, 2026
"There will be an evolutionary path to building humanity's first permanent surface outpost beyond Earth, and we will take the world along with us."
From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026
The dodo, moas, and perhaps the giants of Australia/New Guinea had the misfortune suddenly to be confronted, without any evolutionary preparation, by invading modern humans possessing fully developed hunting skills.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
