evolutionist

American  

[ev-uh-loo-shuh-nist, ee-vuh-] / ˌɛv əˈlu ʃə nɪst, ˌi və- /

noun

1. a person who believes in or supports a theory of evolution, especially in biology.

2. a person who supports a policy of gradual growth or development rather than sudden change or expansion.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to evolution or evolutionists.

2. believing in or supporting a theory of evolution, especially in biology.

evolutionist British  

/ ˌiːvəˈluːʃənɪst /

noun

1. a person who believes in a theory of evolution, esp Darwin's theory of the evolution of plant and animal species

---

adjective

1. of or relating to a theory of evolution

Other Word Forms

• antievolutionist noun
• antievolutionistic adjective
• evolutionism noun
• evolutionistic adjective
• evolutionistically adverb
• nonevolutionist noun
• preevolutionist noun
• proevolutionist adjective

Etymology

Origin of evolutionist

First recorded in 1855–60; evolution + -ist

Example Sentences

In later life, they became a "body evolutionist", proposing a new gender that was beyond male and female.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2020

It was not about religion—Croizat was as complete an evolutionist as Darwin had been.

From Salon • Jan. 12, 2014

In an elegant close reading of Darwin's final book on earthworms, alongside family letters, Phillips highlighted what the great evolutionist called his "slow & silent side attacks" on sceptics.

From The Guardian • Jun. 1, 2012

Bowlby was very influenced by primatology and I was influenced by Bowlby, so essentially this kindly Victorian evolutionist was right in there in the nursery with me.

From Scientific American • Mar. 16, 2012

He said that it was absurd to doubt that a man could be a theist and an evolutionist, as someone had said.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman