Darwinism
noun
Dar·win·ism
ˈdär-wə-ˌni-zəm 
1
: a theory of the origin and perpetuation of new species of animals and plants that offspring of a given organism vary, that natural selection favors the survival of some of these variations over others, that new species have arisen and may continue to arise by these processes, and that widely divergent groups of plants and animals have arisen from the same ancestors compare evolution sense 1, neo-Darwinism
2
: a theory that inherent dynamic forces allow only the fittest persons or organizations to prosper in a competitive environment or situation
economic Darwinism
compare social darwinism
Examples of Darwinism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Advertisement The Dodgers are, essentially, facing a sort of baseball Darwinism the rest of the season — with a bloated roster likely to be trimmed down the stretch, and a number of players uncertain to make the final cut.
—
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2024
Social Darwinism, for one, misapplied Darwin's ideas about the struggle for existence in natural selection to human society, providing a pseudoscientific rationalization for social injustice and oppression.
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2020
As social systems crumble, interpersonal trust evaporates, giving rise to a crude, competitive Darwinism.
—Paula Ramón, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
From the beginning of the 2016 campaign to the present day, a dominant theme has been how, in Trump world, the banal duplicity a person tends to experience in a political operation has reached a kind of baroque late-stage Darwinism.
—Robert Draper, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024
In this game of healthcare industry Darwinism, unicorns are giving way to ponies.
—Sachin H. Jain, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023
Mistaken ideas about Darwinism led many Western scholars to believe that civilizations evolved along a linear, hierarchical path, from primitive villages to ancient kingdoms to modern industrial and urban societies.
—Merilee Grindle, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2023
Misunderstandings of Darwinism, widely promulgated in the art world, had entrenched the idea that women’s brains were unsuited to high-level creativity.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 11 May 2023
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.
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2024
Social Darwinism, for one, misapplied Darwin's ideas about the struggle for existence in natural selection to human society, providing a pseudoscientific rationalization for social injustice and oppression.
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2020
As social systems crumble, interpersonal trust evaporates, giving rise to a crude, competitive Darwinism.
—Paula Ramón, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
From the beginning of the 2016 campaign to the present day, a dominant theme has been how, in Trump world, the banal duplicity a person tends to experience in a political operation has reached a kind of baroque late-stage Darwinism.
—Robert Draper, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024
In this game of healthcare industry Darwinism, unicorns are giving way to ponies.
—Sachin H. Jain, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023
Mistaken ideas about Darwinism led many Western scholars to believe that civilizations evolved along a linear, hierarchical path, from primitive villages to ancient kingdoms to modern industrial and urban societies.
—Merilee Grindle, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2023
Misunderstandings of Darwinism, widely promulgated in the art world, had entrenched the idea that women’s brains were unsuited to high-level creativity.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 11 May 2023
Dictionary Entries Near Darwinism
Cite this Entry
“Darwinism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Darwinism. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Darwinism
noun
Dar·win·ism
ˈdär-wə-ˌniz-əm
: a theory explaining the origin and continued existence of new kinds of animals and plants by means of natural selection acting on chance variations
Medical Definition
Darwinism
noun
Dar·win·ism
ˈdär-wə-ˌniz-əm
: a theory of the origin and perpetuation of new species of animals and plants that offspring of a given organism vary, that natural selection favors the survival of some of these variations over others, that new species have arisen and may continue to arise by these processes, and that widely divergent groups of plants and animals have arisen from the same ancestors
broadly
: a theory of biological evolution
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share