evolutionary

[ ev-uh-loo-shuh-ner-ee or, esp. British, ee-vuh- ]

/ ˌɛv əˈlu ʃəˌnɛr i or, esp. British, ˌi və- /

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.

Nearby words

First recorded in 1840–50; evolution + -ary

Related forms

ev·o·lu·tion·ar·i·ly, adverban·ti·ev·o·lu·tion·ar·y, adjectivenon·ev·o·lu·tion·ar·y, adjectivepre·ev·o·lu·tion·ar·y, adjective

pro·ev·o·lu·tion·ar·y, adjectiveun·ev·o·lu·tion·ar·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

For his tireless assault on evolutionary biology and downsizing the deity to fit within science, I give Meyer second place.
2014: Revenge of the Creationists|Karl W. Giberson|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To regain their relevancy, Democrats need to go back to their evolutionary roots.
Time to Bring Back the Truman Democrats|Joel Kotkin|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It combines pickup techniques supposedly inspired by evolutionary psychology with self-help pseudoscience.
The Secret World of Pickup Artist Julien Blanc|Brandy Zadrozny|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This change was relatively rapid in evolutionary terms, and a lot of diverse critters came out of it.
Why Did It Take So Long For Complex Life To Evolve On Earth? Blame Oxygen.|Matthew R. Francis|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Anyone who takes pot shots at a lovely wading bird is a hopeless defective, in my view, an evolutionary mistake.
Can Carl Hiaasen Save Florida?|Malcolm Jones|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The methods were not phylogenetic, as they have since become under the influence of evolutionary belief.
Makers of British Botany; a collection of biographies by living botanists|Various
He has been hugely vituperated by evolutionary philosophers for his mania for the "age of gold" and his disbelief in progress.
Suspended Judgments|John Cowper Powys
Even the Babylonians made their guesses at an evolutionary theory of the universe.
Browning and His Century|Helen Archibald Clarke
To the discontinuous variations Darwin attached very little importance from an evolutionary point of view.
The Making of Species|Douglas Dewar
This principle plainly shows an evolutionary tendency of all living particles toward a final state of complete intelligence.
Born Again|Alfred Lawson