evolutionary

American  

[ev-uh-loo-shuh-ner-ee, ee-vuh-] / ˌɛv əˈlu ʃəˌnɛr i, ˌi və- /

adjective

1. pertaining to evolution or development; developmental.

   the evolutionary origin of species.

2. of, relating to, or in accordance with a theory of evolution, especially in biology.

3. pertaining to or performing evolutions.

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Other Word Forms

• antievolutionary adjective
• evolutionarily adverb
• nonevolutionary adjective
• preevolutionary adjective
• proevolutionary adjective
• unevolutionary adjective

Etymology

Origin of evolutionary

First recorded in 1840–50; evolution + -ary

Example Sentences

"This shows that evolutionary success is not only about biological innovation -- timing and environmental context matter."

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

"This tells us that by the mid-Cambrian, when evolutionary rates were remarkably high, the oceans were already inhabited by arthropods with anatomical complexity rivaling modern forms," Ortega-Hernández added.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

"It works as a split signal, which is an elegant evolutionary design in which two components of a single factor independently regulate distinct processes that must be tightly coordinated in space and time," noted Shamsi.

From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 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

We and our pathogens are now locked in an escalating evolutionary contest, with the death of one contestant the price of defeat, and with natural selection playing the role of umpire.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• developmental
• transformative