darwinism
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Darwinism¹
- /ˈdɑːwɪnɪz(ə)m/ UK
- /ˈdɑɹwənˌɪzəm/ US
Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)wɪnɪzəm
Where it comes from
From Darwin + -ism (suffix forming names of schools of thought, systems, or theories), from the surname of the English natural philosopher, physician, and poet Erasmus Darwin (1731–1802), and his grandson the biologist, geologist, and naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882).
The word was apparently first applied in noun sense 1 (“Charles Darwin’s theory regarding the evolution of living organisms through natural selection”) by the English anthropologist and biologist Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–1895) in 1860: see the quotation.
noun Darwinisms
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Charles Darwin's theory regarding the evolution of living organisms through natural selection (set out chiefly in his works On the Origin of Species, 1859; and The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, 1871); also, belief in this theory.
[W]e do not hesitate to assert that it [Darwin's theory] is as superior to any preceding or contemporary hypothesis, in the extent of observational and experimental basis on which it rests, in its rigorously scientific method, and in its power of explaining biological phenomena, as was the hypothesi
Similar: Darwinianism
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Short for neo-Darwinism (“the synthesis of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection with the modern genetic understanding of heredity”).
Similar: Darwinianism
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Any of various theories in biology which apply aspects of Darwin's theory (noun sense 1) such as adaptation, competition, or gradual evolution; also, belief in such a theory.
Similar: Darwinianism
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Any of various theories, now generally discredited, which apply aspects of Darwin's theory (noun sense 1) to other situations such as the development of ideas, organizations, or social groups.
social Darwinism
Similar: Darwinianism
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A process of gradual evolution; also, ruthless competition for achievement or survival.
Similar: Darwinianism
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Erasmus Darwin's poetic style, or theory of natural philosophy suggesting that living organisms developed from simpler lifeforms (set out in his work Zoonomia, 1794–1796).
The blank verse of Queen Mab differs little from that measure as it appears in the poems of Akenside, who exercised considerable influence over such poets as escaped from the popular vortex of Darwinism.
Similar: Darwinianism
darwinism²
noun darwinisms
- Alternative letter-case form of Darwinism
Translations
Every language
noun Charles Darwin’s theory regarding the evolution of living organisms through natural selection; belief in this theory
| Español | darvinismo, darwinismo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 다윈주의 dawinjuui, 다위니즘 dawinijeum |
| 日本語 | ダーウィニズム dāwinizumu |
| 中文 | 達爾文主義 /达尔文主义 Dá'ěrwén zhǔyì |
| Português | darvinismo, darwinismo |
| Français | darwinisme |
| Deutsch | Darwinismus |
| Italiano | darvinismo, darwinismo |
| Ελληνικά | δαρβινισμός darvinismós |
| Română | darvinism |
| Русский | дарвини́зм darvinízm |
| Tiếng Việt | học thuyết Darwin, học thuyết Đác-uyn, học thuyết Đacuyn |
| العربية | داروينية |
Talk about this word "darwinism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/darwinism. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. darwinism. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/darwinism "darwinism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/darwinism.Cite this
@misc{darwinism_2026,
title = {darwinism},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/darwinism},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
