atavistic

adjective

at·​a·​vis·​tic ¦a-tə-¦vi-stik 

: of, relating to, tending to, or marked by atavism

from some atavistic inheritance of the cave dweller he always disliked people on first acquaintance

—W. S. Maugham

called his work uncultured and atavistic

atavistically

¦a-tə-¦vi-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

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Kids Definition

atavistic

adjective

at·​a·​vis·​tic

ˌat-ə-ˈvis-tik

: coming from or associated with one's most primitive ancestors

atavistic behavior