anti-evolutionary
|an-ti-e-vo-lu-tion-ar-y|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.ti.ɪˌˌɛv.əˈluː.ʃə.ner.i/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.ti.ɪˌˌɛv.əˈluː.ʃən.əri/
against evolution/against gradual change
Etymology
'anti-evolutionary' is a compound formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek anti- 'against') and 'evolutionary' (from 'evolution'), where 'evolution' derives from Latin 'evolutio' meaning 'a unrolling' or 'an unfolding'.
'evolution' entered English via Latin evolutio and French évolution in the 17th–18th centuries; 'evolutionary' developed as the adjective form in English, and the productive prefix 'anti-' (from Greek via Latin) has been used in English compounds since the 17th century to form 'anti-evolutionary' by the 19th–20th century in contexts opposing evolutionary theory.
Initially, components referred to 'against' and 'unfolding/development'; combined, 'anti-evolutionary' has meant 'opposed to evolutionary theory' since its modern usage, and it has sometimes broadened metaphorically to mean opposed to gradual change.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
opposed to the scientific theory of biological evolution; rejecting or hostile to the idea that species evolve through natural selection or similar mechanisms.
The group's anti-evolutionary views led them to support alternative explanations for the diversity of life.
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Adjective 2
resistant to gradual change or development; reactionary in the sense of opposing progressive or adaptive change (used more broadly, often metaphorically).
His anti-evolutionary attitude toward the company's culture made him oppose many modernization efforts.
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Last updated: 2025/10/27 15:50