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A.Word.A.Day--darwinian

Darwinian (dar-WIN-ee-uhn) adjective

1. Relating to Charles Darwin or his theory of natural selection.

2. Marked by competitive behavior, suggesting survival of the fittest.

[After Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882), English naturalist and author who published his groundbreaking theory of natural selection.]

See more usage examples of darwinian in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

"P&G traditionally was known as a conservative fortress, pitting teams of employees against each other in a Darwinian struggle that sometimes seemed to place a higher priority on winning within P&G than beating competition or appealing to consumers." Cliff Peale; P&G Loses Stodginess to Build Profits; The Cincinnati Enquirer (Ohio); Dec 13, 2004.

"(Lieutenant Harms) also observes subtler, almost Darwinian maneuvers by combat veterans to form teams of stronger soldiers to boost their chances of survival." Ann Scott Tyson; For Army, It's Operation Stretch; The Christian Science Monitor (Boston, Massachusetts); Dec 9, 2004.

This week's theme: eponyms.

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