atavistic
/,ætə'vistik/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Relating to or characterized by reversion to something ancient or ancestral: Describes traits, behaviors, or feelings that seem to be inherited from very remote ancestors and are therefore primitive or instinctive.
- Resembling a remote ancestor rather than immediate parents: In biology, pertaining to the reappearance of a characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The politician's speech appealed to the crowd's atavistic fears of outsiders. (The speech tapped into primitive, instinctive fears.)
- The biologist studied the atavistic trait, a tail-like structure that appeared in the offspring. (The trait was a throwback to a distant ancestor.)
Advanced Usage
- "atavistic impulses": Refers to deep-seated, primal urges that seem to come from an earlier stage of human evolution.
- He struggled to control his atavistic impulses toward violence.
- "atavistic memory": A concept suggesting a racial or inherited memory from ancient times.
- The myth may tap into an atavistic memory of a great flood.
Variants and Related Words
- Atavism (noun): The recurrence of a characteristic after an absence of several generations; a throwback.
- The appearance of webbed feet in the child was considered an atavism.
- Atavist (noun): A person or organism that exhibits atavistic characteristics.
Synonyms
- Primitive: Relating to an early or original stage.
- Throwback: A reversion to an earlier ancestral characteristic.
- Primordial: Existing at or from the beginning of time; primeval.
Antonyms
- Modern: Relating to the present or recent times.
- Advanced: Far on in progress or development.
- Evolved: Having developed over time, especially to a more advanced state.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- A throwback to...: This common phrase is conceptually similar to 'atavistic' but is used more broadly.
- His love for vinyl records is a throwback to an earlier era. (While not biological, it indicates a reversion to past styles.)
Adjective
-
characteristic of an atavist
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