Darwinian
adjective
Dar·win·i·an
där-ˈwi-nē-ən 
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
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
But today’s moguls face a scrambled world, with YouTube eating television, media companies in Trump’s crosshairs, and a Darwinian competition for the last appointment-viewing content — sports.
—
Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 10 July 2025
The Darwinian rule applies to modern leaders: adapt, migrate or die.
—Tony Gambill, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
Minerals evolve toward greater complexity (though not in the Darwinian sense).
—Philip Ball, Wired News, 8 June 2025
Hence, a turn toward self-reliance, whether in the form of back-yard gardening or ruthless self-optimization that anticipates Darwinian competition amid crisis.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2025
For the tennis player, the golfer, the swimmer, the sprinter and the rest of the sports that people play but don’t necessarily watch, landing a spot will be Darwinian.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Apr. 2025
Political discourse and curated most-engaging content that makes it out of the Darwinian struggle to be seen on the multi-billion-personal social network is probably more likely to grab the average person’s attention over Uncle Bob showing off his new lawnmower.
—John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
There’s some secret sauce that turns an odd collection of prebiotic compounds and molecules into self-reproducing structures that undergo Darwinian evolution.
—ArsTechnica, 26 Mar. 2025
That’s adaptation at the group level so that would be a multicellular Darwinian individual.
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 20 Mar. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 10 July 2025
The Darwinian rule applies to modern leaders: adapt, migrate or die.
—Tony Gambill, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
Minerals evolve toward greater complexity (though not in the Darwinian sense).
—Philip Ball, Wired News, 8 June 2025
Hence, a turn toward self-reliance, whether in the form of back-yard gardening or ruthless self-optimization that anticipates Darwinian competition amid crisis.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2025
For the tennis player, the golfer, the swimmer, the sprinter and the rest of the sports that people play but don’t necessarily watch, landing a spot will be Darwinian.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Apr. 2025
Political discourse and curated most-engaging content that makes it out of the Darwinian struggle to be seen on the multi-billion-personal social network is probably more likely to grab the average person’s attention over Uncle Bob showing off his new lawnmower.
—John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
There’s some secret sauce that turns an odd collection of prebiotic compounds and molecules into self-reproducing structures that undergo Darwinian evolution.
—ArsTechnica, 26 Mar. 2025
That’s adaptation at the group level so that would be a multicellular Darwinian individual.
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 20 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Darwinian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Darwinian. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
Darwinian
adjective
Dar·win·ian
där-ˈwin-ē-ən
: of or relating to Charles Darwin, his theories especially of evolution, or his followers
Darwinian
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share