survival of the fittest

noun phrase

: the natural process by which organisms best adjusted to their environment are most successful in surviving and reproducing : natural selection

Our house sits in the middle of the woods, with poisonous snakes in the grass and snapping turtles in the ponds, where the survival of the fittest punctuates each day.

—Steven Lewis

It's part of human nature to be competitive; after all, survival of the fittest is the basis of evolution.

—Suzanne Sievert

—often used figuratively to describe a situation, attitude, etc., of fierce or ruthless competition

Fashion Week is survival of the fittest. So preparing for all angles of what could happen is the smart move in this game.

—Christina M. Hinke

Survival of the fittest is a cold and heartless doctrine, unless you stop to think of the benefits of fitness. Strong, fit companies are job-creating companies …

—David Von Dreble

a survival of the fittest approach/mentality/environment

Examples of survival of the fittest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the world of real estate, a building often goes to the highest bidder in a world of survival of the fittest, but things change when a coveted house might hold some dark secrets that its sellers want to outrun. —Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2024

This is in contrast to individuals being more artful, guarded and practical with survival of the fittest mindsets and self-focused. —George Bradt, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024

Sustainable success requires more than survival of the fittest. —Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024

Ultimately, the film is a swan song for the ages, touching upon issues of self-preservation and sacrifice, confronting our darkest fears (or a lack thereof), and survival of the fittest — or in this somber depiction — the powerful and wealthy. —Tiffany Leigh, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024

Life How extreme beauty might defy survival of the fittest Is beauty always a proxy for genetic health and fitness? —Big Think, 24 June 2024

Watching Springer play game after game and inning after inning is like a survival of the fittest. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2024

Chinese real estate developers desperate for a government lifeline are getting the opposite—survival of the fittest. —Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024

If evolution is the survival of the fittest, why would altruism live? —Lulu Garcia-Navarro, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

survival of the fittest

: natural selection

Medical Definition

survival of the fittest

noun

sur·​viv·​al of the fittest sər-ˈvī-vəl- 

: natural selection