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
-
Three weeks ago, Matt suffered a relapse.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
-
Her therapist’s harm-reduction tactics helped at times, but the relapses kept coming.—
Lev Facher,
STAT,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Orion’s return trip will also test out a more robust heat shield developed by Lockheed Martin.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
-
The return of Sia's Fan Favorite comes two years after Probst, 64, announced in May 2024, after Survivor's 46th season, that Sia would no longer be awarding money to her favorite players.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The stock is finally starting to claw its way back, creating an ideal scenario for a mean reversion play.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
12 May 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
-
His defense remains outstanding, but his regression as a 3-point shooter cost the Magic in their matchup against the Pistons.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
-
Corner Colton Hood’s selection in the second round, for example, attacked a gaping hole in the roster that Banks’ regression created.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
The Gardner case could stand as one of the first major lapses in the protection of young gymnasts since the Larry Nassar scandal.—
Jake Rosenwasser,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
-
Up at Hill Dickinson Stadium two days later, lapses in concentration across their defence saw City’s six-game winning run grind to a halt.—
Ayo Akinwolere,
New York Times,
10 May 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 18 May. 2026.
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