Definition

Noun: 1. A reappearance of an earlier characteristic: In biology and genetics, atavism refers to the phenomenon where a trait or characteristic that was present in distant ancestors but not in more recent generations suddenly reappears in an individual. 2. A throwback: More generally, it can describe any instance of reverting to an older or more primitive type, form, or mode of behavior.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The birth of a whale with hind limb buds was considered a remarkable atavism, harkening back to its land-dwelling ancestors.
  • His violent outburst was seen as an atavism, a disturbing throwback to a more primitive state of human behavior.
  • In literature, the character's primal fear is an atavism that connects him to prehistoric man.

Advanced Usage

• "Atavistic fear/impulse": Describes a deep-seated, instinctive fear or urge believed to be inherited from ancient ancestors.
  • An atavistic fear of the dark kept her awake at night.
• Used in sociological or cultural criticism to describe the re-emergence of outdated ideas or practices.
  • The political movement was criticized as an atavism, reviving long-discredited nationalist ideologies.

Variants and Related Words

• Atavistic (adjective): Of or relating to atavism; reverting to or suggesting the characteristics of a remote ancestor.
  • The painting evoked an atavistic connection to the earth.

Synonyms

• Throwback
• Reversion
• Regression (in a biological or behavioral context)

Antonyms

• Progression
• Advancement
• Evolution (in the sense of forward development)

Related Concepts

• Vestigial structure: A bodily part that has lost most or all of its original function through evolution (e.g., the human appendix). An atavism involves the full or partial of a functional structure that is normally vestigial or absent.
• Evolutionary biology: The field where this term is most precisely applied to describe the re-expression of ancestral genetic traits.

Noun

1. a reappearance of an earlier characteristic