uniformitarian

American  

[yoo-nuh-fawr-mi-tair-ee-uhn] / ˌyu nəˌfɔr mɪˈtɛər i ən /

adjective

1. supporting, conforming to, or derived from a theory or doctrine about uniformity, especially on the subject of geology.

2. Geology. of or relating to the thesis that processes that operated in the remote geological past are not different from those observed now.

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noun

1. a person who accepts or supports a uniformitarian theory.

uniformitarian British  

/ ˌjuːnɪˌfɔːmɪˈtɛərɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to uniformitarianism

2. of, characterized by, or conforming to uniformity

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noun

1. a supporter of a theory of uniformity or of uniformitarianism

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• uniformitarianism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of uniformitarian

First recorded in 1830–40; uniformit(y) + -arian

Explanation

A uniformitarian is someone who agrees with the idea that the processes affecting Earth's geology have always acted in essentially the same way they do today. All modern-day scientists are uniformitarians. Before the mid-1800s, most scientists were catastrophists, believing that Earth's natural formations developed quickly from a series of catastrophic events and that mass extinctions were followed by brand new life forms. The modern science of geology grew out of uniformitarians realizing that the processes and natural laws observed today have existed throughout history. They saw that uniform changes over time account for all of the planet's remarkable features, from canyons and river valleys to mountains and islands.

Example Sentences

Hancock's plaint is that mainstream science is stuck in a uniformitarian model of slow, gradual change and so cannot accept a catastrophic explanation.

From Scientific American • Jun. 12, 2017

It is logical to use these proportions as prior probabilities by making a uniformitarian assumption that they were similar in the Mesozoic.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 22, 2011

We have said that Darwin's hypothesis is the natural complement to Lyell's uniformitarian theory in physical geology.

From Darwiniana; Essays and Reviews Pertaining to Darwinism by Gray, Asa

Dr. Buckland, however, after Agassiz had shown him evidence of former glacial action in his own Scotland, became a convert—the more readily, perhaps, as it seemed to him to oppose the uniformitarian idea.

From A History of Science — Volume 3 by Williams, Henry Smith

In 1832, the year after young Darwin set out upon his cruise, Lyell published the first edition of his 'Principles of Geology,' establishing once for all the uniformitarian concept of that branch of science.

From Charles Darwin by Allen, Grant