natural selection

noun

: a natural process that results in the survival and reproductive success of individuals or groups best adjusted to their environment and that leads to the perpetuation of genetic qualities best suited to that particular environment

Examples of natural selection in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In terms of natural selection mechanisms to overcome, rack up another couple of wins for urban geese. — Mark Vrtiska, The Conversation, 30 July 2026 The wines themselves are carefully chosen – organic, biodynamic and natural selections that reflect not only quality but integrity. — Usa Today Network, USA Today, 29 July 2026 Alfred Russel Wallace independently formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection in 1858, a year before Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was published in 1859. — Michael Muthukrishna, Fortune, 23 July 2026 Organisms are automata directed by their genes, and natural selection favors gene variants that make the organisms behave one way and not another. — Quanta Magazine, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for natural selection

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of natural selection was in 1842

Rhymes for natural selection

See All Rhymes for natural selection

Browse Nearby Words

natural scientist
natural selection
natural slope
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Cite this Entry

“Natural selection.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/natural%20selection. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

natural selection

noun
: a natural process in which individuals or groups best adapted to the conditions under which they live survive and produce young and poorly adapted forms are eliminated

Medical Definition

natural selection

noun
: a natural process that results in the survival and reproductive success of individuals or groups best adjusted to their environment and that leads to the perpetuation of genetic qualities best suited to that particular environment

More from Merriam-Webster on natural selection

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about natural selection

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