Darwinian

adjective

Dar·win·i·an där-ˈwi-nē-ən

: of or relating to Charles Darwin, his theories especially of evolution, or his followers

: of, relating to, or being a competitive environment or situation in which only the fittest persons or organizations prosper

Darwinian noun

Examples of Darwinian in a Sentence

a Darwinian approach to evolution The competition among manufacturers is very Darwinian. the Darwinian world of professional sports

Recent Examples on the Web Although much of the sizzle here comes from the Thompson twins, this six-part series also looks at other kids who won’t hear their names called on draft day, a reminder that this is a Darwinian process, where only the privileged few make it to the next level. —

Brian Lowry, CNN, 12 Sep. 2023 Parking is wildly expensive, traffic is apocalyptic and even making it to the site is like a mass Darwinian experiment. —

Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2023 At heart, Darwinian beekeeping offended her sense of responsibility as a beekeeper. —

Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023 And with a little twisting, Darwinian theories of adaptation appeared to show that women had evolved for reproduction and nest building rather than intellectual pursuits. —

Elaine Weiss, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2019 According to assembly theory, before Darwinian evolution can proceed, something has to select for multiple copies of high-AI objects from the Assembly Possible. —

Philip Ball, Quanta Magazine, 4 May 2023 Her New York was glamorous and exciting but essentially Darwinian. —

Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 19 June 2023 Thirty minutes of waiting for a charger to free up is bringing out my most Darwinian instincts: Like an eagle swooping down to nab a goat, my tiny black Chevy Bolt EUV swings into the spot before the pickup even knows what’s happening. —

Saahil Desai, The Atlantic, 16 June 2023 Murdoch believed a Darwinian struggle would produce the most capable heir. —

Chloe Walker, Longreads, 25 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Darwinian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.