evolutionary change
4
4.4
- noun
- /ˌɛvəˈluːʃənəri ʧeɪndʒ/
:
cambio evolutivo
- Although selection is regarded as the chief engine of evolutionary change, scientists have only recently begun to measure its action in the wild.
- leads to evolutionary change
- evolutionary change in traits
- important evolutionary changes
Examples
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So far, we have emphasized the importance of directional selection in generating evolutionary adaptation and evolutionary change.
Academic text (2007) -
Snails and other shelled animals sometimes serve as particularly informative logbooks of evolutionary change.
Academic text (2002) -
We deal with evolutionary change.
-
What patterns of evolutionary change will those code for?
-
What is the fundamental unit of evolutionary change?
Academic text (2008) -
Genetic drift is also a driver of evolutionary change in his view.
Blog text (32) -
Dialogue between the current regime and the opposition is the first step toward evolutionary change that would benefit the Chinese people.
Academic text (1992) -
Changes in technology, behavior, and economics do alter the trends, but only slowly through marginal and evolutionary changes.
Academic text (1991) -
For natural selection to cause evolutionary change in ecophysiological traits, genetic variation for those traits must exist within natural populations.
Academic text (2000) -
The fossil record reveals that great evolutionary change occurred about two million years ago.
Synonyms
∞
1.1
A time when something becomes different
∞
1.6
An increase in size, number, or importance of something
357
2.5
A gradual change that makes something better or more advanced
210
4.4
A gradual change that makes something more advanced or complex
119
4.1
Progress or growth that makes something better
102
3.3
A change made to something
62
3.8
A process of moving forward or developing over time
1
7.7
Small changes in the genes of a species over a short time
1
6.4
A gradual change that makes something more advanced or complex
1
4.7
Living things change slowly over many years to form new species
A slow change where one kind of living thing becomes another over a long time
Slow change of a living thing into a different kind over a long time
Antonyms
How Gradual
4
4.4
6
3.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase's meaning is directly built from 'evolutionary' (pertaining to evolution) + 'change' (a difference or transformation), so it clearly denotes a gradual development or transformation. This ADJ+NOUN compositional pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Evolutionary change creates a picture of many tiny steps adding up over time: evolutionary suggests slow, step-by-step shifts and change is the result. So it means a 'slow' or 'gradual' development rather than a sudden one.