What does "darwinism" mean?
Various concepts of development or evolution popularised by Charles Darwin's publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859.
Darwinism
/ˈdɑːwɪnɪzəm/ noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Various concepts of development or evolution popularised by Charles Darwin's publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859.
- Grammar: darwinism is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: darwinian doctrine, darwinian framework, darwinian legacy, darwinian theory.
- Useful contrasts: Lamarckism, biological Darwinism, creationism.
- Usage evidence: The historical thesis can be summarized by saying that Darwinism has undergone three stages of evolution.
How to use "darwinism"
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Meaning check
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Source and review context
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 Various concepts of development or evolution popularised by Charles Darwin's publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859. countable, uncountable
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of Darwinism. alt-of
- 3 a theory of organic evolution claiming that new species arise and are perpetuated by natural selection wordnet
- 4 The principles of natural selection set out in Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859), more strictly defined by August Weismann and developed by other authors into a central part of the modern evolutionary synthesis. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonyms darwinian doctrinedarwinian frameworkdarwinian legacydarwinian theoryevolutionary biologyevolutionary theory
Antonyms
Example
"The historical thesis can be summarized by saying that Darwinism has undergone three stages of evolution."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "darwinism"?
Common synonyms include: darwinian doctrine, darwinian framework, darwinian legacy, darwinian theory, evolutionary biology, evolutionary theory.
How do you use "darwinism" in a sentence?
The historical thesis can be summarized by saying that Darwinism has undergone three stages of evolution.
How do you pronounce "darwinism"?
Pronounced /ˈdɑːwɪnɪzəm/.
Etymology
From Darwin + -ism, coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1860.