evolutionary

[ev-uh-loo-shuh-ner-ee, ee-vuh-] / ˌɛv əˈlu ʃəˌnɛr i, ˌi və- /

ADJECTIVE

pertaining to evolution or development

Synonyms

STRONGEST

developmental metamorphic mutative transformative

STRONG

changing growing progressive transmutative

WEAK

generative revolutionary

Antonyms

STRONGEST

extinct stagnant stunted

STRONG

dormant idle inert

WEAK

arrested frozen

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"This tells us that by the mid-Cambrian, when evolutionary rates were remarkably high, the oceans were already inhabited by arthropods with anatomical complexity rivaling modern forms," Ortega-Hernández added.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

These genetic features act like evolutionary accelerators, preserving useful traits and speeding up change.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

These species represented a range of evolutionary branches, body sizes, and skeletal features.

From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026

"There will be an evolutionary path to building humanity's first permanent surface outpost beyond Earth, and we will take the world along with us."

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

We and our pathogens are now locked in an escalating evolutionary contest, with the death of one contestant the price of defeat, and with natural selection playing the role of umpire.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond