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 relapse rate for those in recovery is as high as 70 percent.—
Ethan Brooks,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2025
-
His decision to be open about the relapse was in part thanks to Bradley Cooper.—
Julia Moore,
People.com,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Yet even being on the plus side was not by much, as for every tax dollar remitted to feds from New Yorkers in fiscal year 2023, New York got back $1.06 in return, but the national average was $1.32.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Frederic’s return shows limited promise Trent Frederic was in the lineup the last time the Oilers played in this building on April 5, his debut with his new team after being acquired March 4 from Boston.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Iranians will no doubt continue to improve their missiles’ accuracy and performance, but today the missile program is perhaps less of a threat than Iran’s regional meddling or the reversion of its nuclear program back to the pre-JCPOA status quo.—
Richard Nephew,
Foreign Affairs,
3 Nov. 2017
-
However, the stock is now beginning to show signs of mean reversion, suggesting a potential rebound may be underway.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The worst Heat season in more than a decade ended in humiliating fashion on Monday, delivering a sad and sobering message to a proud franchise that played in the NBA Finals two years ago and has witnessed a rapid regression since.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2025
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The only true area of regression so far has been in one statistical category; where a glaring drop in production has signaled a key early-season problem for the team.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The controversy represented a significant security lapse that could have affected the mission had the reporter not waited about a week to report on the chat’s contents.—
Mike Brest,
The Washington Examiner,
1 May 2025
-
Even before Hoffman’s death on Sunday, lawmakers were already quietly scrambling to avoid a lapse in the program.—
Jonathan Shorman,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 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 4 May. 2025.
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