With this as background I turn now to an account of the present state of evolutionary biology.
Source: tatoeba (61092)
Evolutionary
/ˌiː.vəˈluː.ʃən.ɛɹ.i/
Synonyms for "evolutionary" (36 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (8)
Noun(1 words)
comparative anatomy
Strong matches (10)
Adjective(4 words)
Adjective(1 words)
Related words (18)
Adjective(5 words)
Noun(3 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: adaptive, advancing, biological progression, bradytelic, cladistic.
- Sentence evidence is available for evolutionary, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, wiktionary, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "evolutionary".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "evolutionary"
Keep "evolutionary" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "evolutionary" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "evolutionary", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "evolutionary" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
3 entriesMore specific
6 entriesevolutionary computationevolutionary designevolutionary roboticsgenomic evolutionmolecular evolutionphylogeny
Collocations
6 entriesevolutionary algorithmevolutionary biologyevolutionary frameworkevolutionary geneticsevolutionary theoryevolutionary timescale
Inflections
2 entriesmore evolutionarymost evolutionary
Derivations
1 entriesTranslations
36 translations across 28 languages.
Armenian
1 entries- էվոլյուցիոն adj (of or relating to evolution)
Belarusian
1 entries- эвалюцы́йны adj (of or relating to evolution)
Catalan
1 entries- evolutiu adj (of or relating to evolution)
Czech
1 entries- evoluční adj (of or relating to evolution)
Danish
3 entries- evolutions- adj (of or relating to evolution)
- evolutionær adj (of or relating to evolution)
- udviklings- adj (of or relating to evolution)
Dutch
1 entries- evolutionair adj (of or relating to evolution)
Esperanto
1 entries- evolua adj (of or relating to evolution)
Estonian
1 entries- evolutsiooniline adj (of or relating to evolution)
French
2 entries- évolutif adj (of or relating to evolution)
- évolutionnaire adj (of or relating to evolution)
German
1 entries- evolutionär adj (of or relating to evolution)
Hebrew
1 entries- אבולוציוני adj (of or relating to evolution)
Hindi
1 entries- क्रमविकासीय adj (of or relating to evolution)
Hungarian
1 entries- evolúciós adj (of or relating to evolution)
Irish
1 entries- éabhlóideach adj (of or relating to evolution)
Italian
2 entries- evolutivo adj (of or relating to evolution)
- evoluzionario adj (of or relating to evolution)
Latvian
1 entries- evolucionārs adj (of or relating to evolution)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- evolusjonær adj (of or relating to evolution)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- evolusjonær adj (of or relating to evolution)
Occitan
1 entries- evolutiu adj (of or relating to evolution)
Polish
1 entries- ewolucyjny adj (of or relating to evolution)
Portuguese
1 entries- evolutivo adj (of or relating to evolution)
Romanian
3 entries- evoluțial adj (of or relating to evolution)
- evoluțional adj (of or relating to evolution)
- evoluționar adj (of or relating to evolution)
Russian
1 entries- эволюцио́нный adj (of or relating to evolution)
Serbo-Croatian
1 entries- evolúcījskī adj (of or relating to evolution)
Spanish
3 entries- evolucionario adj (of or relating to evolution)
- evolucionista adj (of or relating to evolution)
- evolutivo adj (of or relating to evolution)
Swedish
1 entries- evolutionär adj (of or relating to evolution)
Ukrainian
1 entries- еволюці́йний adj (of or relating to evolution)
Vietnamese
1 entries- tiến hóa adj (of or relating to evolution)
Sample sentences
13 total sentences available.
Darwin developed the evolutionary theory.
Source: tatoeba (820566)
The last few decades have brought significant changes to evolutionary thought.
Source: tatoeba (6017219)
"Gigantism is an evolutionary survival strategy, especially for herbivorous animals, because size is a form of defense against predators," Apaldetti said.
Source: tatoeba (6990365)
Showing 4 of 13 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "evolutionary"?
Closest matches include adaptive, advancing, biological progression, bradytelic, cladistic.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "evolutionary"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.