microevolution
noun
mi·cro·evo·lu·tion
ˌmī-krō-ˌe-və-ˈlü-shən 
also -ˌē-və-
: comparatively minor evolutionary change involving the accumulation of variations in populations usually below the species level
Examples of microevolution in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
New discoveries have been made in microevolution, which has helped identify how environmental factors are influencing populations.
—
Big Think, 5 Aug. 2025
Or, perhaps the small size of SK 835’s teeth can be explained by microevolution—variations between P. robustus groups living at different sites.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 May 2025
Fully resolving the paradox will require scientists to study time spans between macro- and microevolution, Porto said — on the scale of tens, hundreds or thousands of years.
—Quanta Magazine, 2 Jan. 2024
In the case of the new Paranthropus robustus cranium, labeled DNH 155, these new questions all centered on the tempo and mode of how human microevolution—small changes within a species—occurred in response to an evolving climate two million years ago.
—Jesse Martin, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2021
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Big Think, 5 Aug. 2025
Or, perhaps the small size of SK 835’s teeth can be explained by microevolution—variations between P. robustus groups living at different sites.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 May 2025
Fully resolving the paradox will require scientists to study time spans between macro- and microevolution, Porto said — on the scale of tens, hundreds or thousands of years.
—Quanta Magazine, 2 Jan. 2024
In the case of the new Paranthropus robustus cranium, labeled DNH 155, these new questions all centered on the tempo and mode of how human microevolution—small changes within a species—occurred in response to an evolving climate two million years ago.
—Jesse Martin, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Microevolution.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microevolution. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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microevolution
noun
mi·cro·evo·lu·tion
ˈmī-krō-ˌev-ə-ˈlü-shən also -ˌē-və-
: comparatively minor evolutionary change involving the accumulation of variations in populations usually below the species level
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