as in relapse
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Recent Examples of atavism
Their success depends on a careful combination of atavism and innovation.
—
David George Haskell, Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026
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
Early on, these doctors-cum-criminal-profilers explained bad apples through theories such as atavism.
—WIRED, 21 Feb. 2023
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
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
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
Obama crashed against a wall of atavism and paranoia.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 29 Jan. 2022
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
David George Haskell, Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026
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
Early on, these doctors-cum-criminal-profilers explained bad apples through theories such as atavism.
—WIRED, 21 Feb. 2023
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
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
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
Obama crashed against a wall of atavism and paranoia.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 29 Jan. 2022
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atavism
Noun
-
Meanwhile another trial that was double-blind examined the use of ibogaine for reducing cocaine cravings and found fewer relapses in the drug group compared with the placebo group.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
24 Apr. 2026
-
After his relapse, Lawrence needed around-the-clock care.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The return of control and Guardiola’s 4-2-2-2 setup seemed to squeeze Cherki to the margins, despite his creative output and joie de vivre.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Between 2017 and 2025, the PIF’s annual return has been seven per cent.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As a mean reversion trader, hunting down these exact laggards is my primary focus, operating on the premise that a rising tide will eventually lift all boats.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The situation is one of ideological ferment, rather than a reversion to some Romneyite center.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For a decade now, every moment of progress has been met with rapid and shocking regression.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
-
After all, no poet talks seriously about doing statistical regression on sonnets to find the optimal ones.—
Konstantin Kakaes,
Quanta Magazine,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Houston’s offensive lapses, a dose of what the Lakers had been trudging through since losing Doncic and Reaves, was understandable.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
-
This back-and-forth comes as gas and oil prices continue to spike — and with the two-week ceasefire set to lapse this week.—
Sophia Vento,
The Hill,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This book is all about the fight to stem the tide of retrogression.—
Ken Makin,
Christian Science Monitor,
19 Nov. 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Atavism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atavism. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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