survival of the fittest

American  

noun

1. (not in technical use) natural selection.

2. 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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survival of the fittest British  

noun

1. a popular term for natural selection

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survival of the fittest Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of survival of the fittest

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Survival of the fittest – not of the animals – but of those organisations and people who are supposed to be caring for them.

From The Guardian • Mar. 1, 2017

Survival of the fittest, after all, rewards only those who reproduce, not necessarily those who reach old age.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Survival of the fittest applies to cancer cells," says Richard Schilsky, associate dean for clinical research at the University of Chicago.

From Time Magazine Archive

Survival of the fittest, adaptation, And all their other evolution terms, Seem to omit one small consideration, To wit, that tumblebugs and angleworms Have souls: there's soul in everything that squirms.

From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Alden, Raymond MacDonald

Survival of the fittest, Gabriele; and the fittest animal is the one with the most bills in his wallet.

From Tokyo to Tijuana: Gabriele Departing America by Sills, Steven (Steven David Justin)