as in relapse
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Recent Examples of atavism
Millet plays with the title and with the idea of atavism, in which an ancient trait asserts itself by skipping forward a few generations to suddenly appear in the gene pool.
—
Heather Scott Partington, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Western elites believed that in the twenty-first century, cosmopolitanism and globalism would triumph over atavism and tribal loyalties.
—Walter Russell Mead, Foreign Affairs, 20 Jan. 2017
This sumptuous piece of theatrical atavism bore little resemblance to the actual events of Mozart’s life, but most nonpurist musicians happily accepted the melodramatization; quite apart from the thespian pyrotechnics, the sophisticated choice of music was a revelation.
—Simon Callow, The New York Review of Books, 22 Dec. 2022
Is my interest in the moon some dormant atavism from a more primitive era of human life?
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Oct. 2022
Early on, these doctors-cum-criminal-profilers explained bad apples through theories such as atavism.
—WIRED, 21 Feb. 2023
If learning and gentility are signs of civilization, perhaps our almost-big brains are straining against their residual atavism, struggling to expand.
—Richard Granger, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2022
Obama crashed against a wall of atavism and paranoia.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 29 Jan. 2022
This gives his career an arc of atavism and abnegating tragedy, a willful artist hopelessly at the mercy of his obsessions.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2021
Heather Scott Partington, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Western elites believed that in the twenty-first century, cosmopolitanism and globalism would triumph over atavism and tribal loyalties.
—Walter Russell Mead, Foreign Affairs, 20 Jan. 2017
This sumptuous piece of theatrical atavism bore little resemblance to the actual events of Mozart’s life, but most nonpurist musicians happily accepted the melodramatization; quite apart from the thespian pyrotechnics, the sophisticated choice of music was a revelation.
—Simon Callow, The New York Review of Books, 22 Dec. 2022
Is my interest in the moon some dormant atavism from a more primitive era of human life?
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Oct. 2022
Early on, these doctors-cum-criminal-profilers explained bad apples through theories such as atavism.
—WIRED, 21 Feb. 2023
If learning and gentility are signs of civilization, perhaps our almost-big brains are straining against their residual atavism, struggling to expand.
—Richard Granger, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2022
Obama crashed against a wall of atavism and paranoia.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 29 Jan. 2022
This gives his career an arc of atavism and abnegating tragedy, a willful artist hopelessly at the mercy of his obsessions.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atavism
Noun
-
After remission, cancer cells may remain dormant for years before spreading— notably in the lungs or other organs—and causing a relapse.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 July 2025
-
The Brazilian has always planned to stay but suffered an injury relapse earlier this month, which will keep him sidelined until September, further complicating any departure.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
The real estate agent also sees opportunities for investors, who can buy properties at a discount in areas that will later appreciate in value, while also earning a return on the monthly rent.—
Sarah Moreno
July 14,
Miami Herald,
14 July 2025
-
That is thanks to the return of, among others, end Jayden Virgin-Morgan (team-high 10 sacks), safety Ty Bennefield (leading tackler) and corner A’Marion McCoy (14 PBUs).—
Tom Layberger,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
As a mean reversion trader, the goal is to identify these overreactions and take the other side when the setup aligns.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
20 June 2025
-
Overall, good old reversion to the mean likely is coming, Mazen states.—
Larry Light,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
Noun
-
However, this year’s splits are so pronounced that some kind of positive regression seems inevitable.—
Neil Paine,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
-
The Panthers are banking on a repeat performance, even if Jackson feels like a potential regression candidate.—
Mike Kaye
July 14,
Charlotte Observer,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
These are the types of lapses Johnston absolutely must eradicate from his game.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
-
The federal Cyber Safety Review Board, which investigated the attack, blamed Microsoft for security lapses that gave hackers their opening.—
Renee Dudley,
ProPublica,
15 July 2025
Noun
-
Visa retrogression might become more of an issue for Indian and Chinese applicants who invest under the high-unemployment category due to its more limited availability.—
Sam Silverman,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Does the Senate really want to put in office a secretary with zero medical training, who believes in raw milk and not in the extraordinary benefits of vaccinations, without asking him about such retrogression?—
Arthur House,
Hartford Courant,
22 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Atavism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atavism. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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