evolutionary

[ ev-uh-loo-shuh-ner-ee or, especially British, ee-vuh- ]

/ ˌɛv əˈlu ʃəˌnɛr i or, especially British, ˌi və- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR evolutionary ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

pertaining to evolution or development; developmental: the evolutionary origin of species.

of, relating to, or in accordance with a theory of evolution, especially in biology.

pertaining to or performing evolutions.

Origin of evolutionary

First recorded in 1840–50; evolution + -ary

OTHER WORDS FROM evolutionary

ev·o·lu·tion·ar·i·ly, adverban·ti·ev·o·lu·tion·ar·y, adjectivenon·ev·o·lu·tion·ar·y, adjectivepre·ev·o·lu·tion·ar·y, adjective

pro·ev·o·lu·tion·ar·y, adjectiveun·ev·o·lu·tion·ar·y, adjective

Words nearby evolutionary

evoke, evoked potential, evoked response, evolute, evolution, evolutionary, evolutionary algorithm, evolutionary biology, evolutionary fitness, evolutionary medicine, evolutionary psychology

Example sentences from the Web for evolutionary

For his tireless assault on evolutionary biology and downsizing the deity to fit within science, I give Meyer second place.
2014: Revenge of the Creationists|Karl W. Giberson|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To regain their relevancy, Democrats need to go back to their evolutionary roots.
Time to Bring Back the Truman Democrats|Joel Kotkin|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It combines pickup techniques supposedly inspired by evolutionary psychology with self-help pseudoscience.
The Secret World of Pickup Artist Julien Blanc|Brandy Zadrozny|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This change was relatively rapid in evolutionary terms, and a lot of diverse critters came out of it.
Why Did It Take So Long For Complex Life To Evolve On Earth? Blame Oxygen.|Matthew R. Francis|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Anyone who takes pot shots at a lovely wading bird is a hopeless defective, in my view, an evolutionary mistake.
Can Carl Hiaasen Save Florida?|Malcolm Jones|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The methods were not phylogenetic, as they have since become under the influence of evolutionary belief.
Makers of British Botany; a collection of biographies by living botanists|Various
He has been hugely vituperated by evolutionary philosophers for his mania for the "age of gold" and his disbelief in progress.
Suspended Judgments|John Cowper Powys
Even the Babylonians made their guesses at an evolutionary theory of the universe.
Browning and His Century|Helen Archibald Clarke
To the discontinuous variations Darwin attached very little importance from an evolutionary point of view.
The Making of Species|Douglas Dewar
This principle plainly shows an evolutionary tendency of all living particles toward a final state of complete intelligence.
Born Again|Alfred Lawson