evolutionist

C2 Topic:People & Society

US /ˌɛvəˈluʃənɪst/ UK /ˌiːvəˈluːʃənɪst/ See IPA manual

Freq #147059

Meanings

1

noun
a person who accepts, studies, or advocates the theory of biological evolution

The nineteenth-century evolutionist compared related species from several islands.
2

noun
a supporter of gradual development or change rather than sudden transformation

As a political evolutionist, she favored steady institutional reform over revolution.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a person who accepts,... evolutionary theorist

2 noun · a supporter of gradual... gradualist

Opposites

creationistrevolutionist

Word family

Forms evolutionists

Related forms evolution evolutionaryDarwinismnatural selection

Etymology

Formed from evolution + -ist 'a person who supports or practices.' Evolution comes from Latin evolutio 'an unrolling,' from evolvere 'to roll out.' Its biological sense developed in the nineteenth century for theories of the development and diversification of living forms.

Topics

People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# evolutionist

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌɛvəˈluʃənɪst/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌiːvəˈluːʃənɪst/
**Frequency rank:** 147059

## Meanings
1. a person who accepts, studies, or advocates the theory of biological evolution
2. a supporter of gradual development or change rather than sudden transformation

## Examples
- The nineteenth-century evolutionist compared related species from several islands.
- As a political evolutionist, she favored steady institutional reform over revolution.

## Synonyms
- evolutionary theorist
- gradualist

## Antonyms
- creationist
- revolutionist

## Related Forms
- evolution
- evolutionary
- Darwinism
- natural selection

## Etymology
Formed from evolution + -ist 'a person who supports or practices.' Evolution comes from Latin evolutio 'an unrolling,' from evolvere 'to roll out.' Its biological sense developed in the nineteenth century for theories of the development and diversification of living forms.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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