natural selection

noun

: a natural process that results in the survival and reproductive success of individuals or groups best adjusted to their environment and that leads to the perpetuation of genetic qualities best suited to that particular environment

Examples of natural selection in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Boomsma said any traits the ants have evolved are adaptations driven by natural selection, and creating fitter hybrid workers provided a competitive advantage, allowing Iberian harvester ants to extend their range vastly. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025

In truth, jobs and people find each other through a process closer to natural selection. —Dave Winsborough, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Strikingly, this rapid shift coincided with major alterations in genes linked to autism—likely shaped by natural selection factors unique to the human species. —Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025

In an environment full of dangers, natural selection favors those who can detect meaning from a plethora of extraneous information. —Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for natural selection

• abjection
• advection
• affection
• bijection
• bisection
• collection
• complexion
• confection
• connection
• connexion
• convection
• correction

Kids Definition

natural selection

noun

: a natural process in which individuals or groups best adapted to the conditions under which they live survive and produce young and poorly adapted forms are eliminated

Medical Definition

natural selection

noun

: a natural process that results in the survival and reproductive success of individuals or groups best adjusted to their environment and that leads to the perpetuation of genetic qualities best suited to that particular environment