as in relapse
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Recent Examples of atavism
Millet plays with the title and with the idea of atavism, in which an ancient trait asserts itself by skipping forward a few generations to suddenly appear in the gene pool.
—
Heather Scott Partington, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Western elites believed that in the twenty-first century, cosmopolitanism and globalism would triumph over atavism and tribal loyalties.
—Walter Russell Mead, Foreign Affairs, 20 Jan. 2017
This sumptuous piece of theatrical atavism bore little resemblance to the actual events of Mozart’s life, but most nonpurist musicians happily accepted the melodramatization; quite apart from the thespian pyrotechnics, the sophisticated choice of music was a revelation.
—Simon Callow, The New York Review of Books, 22 Dec. 2022
Is my interest in the moon some dormant atavism from a more primitive era of human life?
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Oct. 2022
Early on, these doctors-cum-criminal-profilers explained bad apples through theories such as atavism.
—WIRED, 21 Feb. 2023
If learning and gentility are signs of civilization, perhaps our almost-big brains are straining against their residual atavism, struggling to expand.
—Richard Granger, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2022
Obama crashed against a wall of atavism and paranoia.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 29 Jan. 2022
This gives his career an arc of atavism and abnegating tragedy, a willful artist hopelessly at the mercy of his obsessions.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2021
Heather Scott Partington, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Western elites believed that in the twenty-first century, cosmopolitanism and globalism would triumph over atavism and tribal loyalties.
—Walter Russell Mead, Foreign Affairs, 20 Jan. 2017
This sumptuous piece of theatrical atavism bore little resemblance to the actual events of Mozart’s life, but most nonpurist musicians happily accepted the melodramatization; quite apart from the thespian pyrotechnics, the sophisticated choice of music was a revelation.
—Simon Callow, The New York Review of Books, 22 Dec. 2022
Is my interest in the moon some dormant atavism from a more primitive era of human life?
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Oct. 2022
Early on, these doctors-cum-criminal-profilers explained bad apples through theories such as atavism.
—WIRED, 21 Feb. 2023
If learning and gentility are signs of civilization, perhaps our almost-big brains are straining against their residual atavism, struggling to expand.
—Richard Granger, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2022
Obama crashed against a wall of atavism and paranoia.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 29 Jan. 2022
This gives his career an arc of atavism and abnegating tragedy, a willful artist hopelessly at the mercy of his obsessions.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atavism
Noun
-
The goal is to make it through the rest of the season without a relapse and to hit the playoffs in peak condition.—
Vitas Carosella,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Crisler said Milton struggles with alcohol addiction and was sober working for four months at a Chipotle restaurant, but a relapse resulted in the April 25 break-in.—
Quinlan Bentley,
The Enquirer,
3 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Northern Territory Police Force confirmed Top’s return in an update on Aug 4.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Krispy Kreme is bringing the fall season back early with the return of its Pumpkin Spice Season menu on Aug. 11.—
Marina Johnson,
The Courier-Journal,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
And for mean reversion traders, that’s exactly the kind of set-up that gets us interested.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
29 July 2025
-
While reversion to the mean is a semi-accepted concept, the prevailing wisdom in markets is that stocks that go down will keep going down and are basically doomed to fail.—
Clem Chambers,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
Noun
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Even with a good arsenal, Horton experienced some regression in his velocity and effectiveness following his Tommy John surgery.—
Bernie Pleskoff,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Having finished 10th last season, a regression looks likely, though relegation — as predicted by a fair few of our staff — may be a step too far in a negative direction.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Jon Michaels, a professor of law at UCLA who lectures about national security, said that the documents found in the printer of the Alaskan hotel reveal a lapse in professional judgement in preparation for a high-stakes meeting.—
Chiara Eisner,
NPR,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Homer Glen officials said this is not a new tax on residents who are buying groceries but rather a chance to ensure the village does not see a lapse in revenue.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Visa retrogression might become more of an issue for Indian and Chinese applicants who invest under the high-unemployment category due to its more limited availability.—
Sam Silverman,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Does the Senate really want to put in office a secretary with zero medical training, who believes in raw milk and not in the extraordinary benefits of vaccinations, without asking him about such retrogression?—
Arthur House,
Hartford Courant,
22 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Atavism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atavism. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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