Darwinian

play

adjective Dar·win·i·an \där-ˈwi-nē-ən\

Definition of Darwinian

1 : of or relating to Charles Darwin, his theories especially of evolution, or his followers
2 : of, relating to, or being a competitive environment or situation in which only the fittest persons or organizations prosper

Darwinian

noun

See Darwinian defined for English-language learners

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Examples of darwinian in a Sentence

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

First Known Use of darwinian

1859

DARWINIAN Defined for English Language Learners

Darwinian

play

adjective

Definition of Darwinian for English Language Learners

: of or relating to Charles Darwin or to the ideas and theories of Charles Darwin
: of or relating to a situation in which only people, businesses, etc., with the strongest skills or abilities are successful

Medical Dictionary

Darwinian

play

adjective Dar·win·ian \där-ˈwin-ē-ən\

Medical Definition of Darwinian

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

Darwinian

noun

Biographical Note for darwinian

Darwin

\ˈdär-wən\play ,

Charles Robert

(1809–1882), British naturalist. Darwin is celebrated for his documentation of the theory of evolution and the development of the principle of natural selection. In 1831 he began a five-year voyage around the world, making stopovers in South America where he gained critical insight into the variation between populations of animals on the various islands and the mainland which played an important role in the development of his ideas on evolution. In 1859 he published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. This landmark work brought about a revolution in biology and firmly established the study of evolution as part of the science of biology. The Descent of Man, 1871, was a follow-up work that contained his related theory of sexual selection. Darwin was not the first to question the immutability of species in nature or to conceive the notion of evolution, but he added to the theorizing of Lamarck and others the concept of natural selection and voluminous documentary evidence.