survival of the fittest
noun
(not in technical use) natural selection.
a 19th-century concept of human society, inspired by the principle of natural selection, postulating that those who are eliminated in the struggle for existence are the unfit.
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Nearby words
survivable, survival, survival bag, survival curve, survival kit, survival of the fittest, survival value, survivalist, survive, survivor, survivor guilt
Origin of survival of the fittest
First recorded in 1860–65
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for survival of the fittest
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Idioms and Phrases with survival of the fittest
survival of the fittest
Those best adapted to particular conditions will succeed in the long run, as in They've had to close a dozen of their stores, but the ones in the western part of the state are doing well—it's the survival of the fittest. This phrase was invented by Herbert Spencer in Principles of Biology (1864) to describe Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection of living species. By the early 1900s it was being transferred to other areas.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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