atavism

noun

Definition of atavismnext
as in relapse

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of atavism Karp’s ideological atavism is all too typical of the current bent of Silicon Valley. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 Such atavism couldn’t be further from Alexandre Estrela’s technological vision. — Pablo Larios, Artforum, 10 June 2026 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 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 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
  1. relapse
  2. return
  3. reversion
  4. regression
  5. lapse
  6. retrogression
Noun
  • There was also a vivid sense of defiance in her capacity to bare so much, to sing about her fear of relapse to a crowd of thousands.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
  • Individuals with weak immune systems are at higher risk for prolonged illness and relapses of symptoms.
    — Caroline Kee, NBC news, 3 July 2026
Definition of relapse
Noun
  • Blake Snell will start a rehab assignment on Saturday, putting him around a month away from a return.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 18 July 2026
  • The Journey The three kings — Agamemnon, Menelaus and Odysseus — parted ways at Troy and began their return voyages.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
Definition of return
Noun
  • The tradwife trend is controversial in that it is seen by some as a rejection of feminism and a reversion to a seemingly simpler time.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 June 2026
  • No photos have been revealed yet for next year’s release, but the reversion to the name Super Freak suggests the original details should return as well.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 9 June 2026
Definition of reversion
Noun
  • The researchers performed regression analysis to isolate these variables.
    — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 13 July 2026
  • This current year, though, feels like a regression, with a lineup that, bar one or two interesting choices, mostly feels like it could have been plucked straight out of 2015.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
Definition of regression
Noun
  • Since then, there's been debate over the effects of the lapse given that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court recertified the program through March.
    — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • Other proposals were rejected, one to expand the emergency curfew for teens to include 17-year-olds and another demanding reforms at the city's Office of Public Health and Safety after an audit found oversight lapses.
    — Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 9 July 2026
Definition of lapse
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
Definition of retrogression

Browse Nearby Words

at any rate
atavism
atavisms
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Atavism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atavism. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of raffish

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All