survival of the fittest
15
5.1
- noun
- /sərˈvaɪvəl əv ðə ˈfɪtɪst/
- Specialized
:
supervivencia del más apto
- Charles Darwin's theory emphasizes that survival of the fittest is essential for evolution and natural selection.
- selection and survival of the fittest
- Darwinian survival of the fittest
- natural survival of the fittest
If you're dumb enough to do this, it's survival of the fittest.
- If you're dumb enough to do this, it's survival of the fittest.
- But it was, it was like survival of the fittest.
- Competition and struggle means progress, survival of the fittest.
- People think of Darwin as having insisted that evolution only works by competition and the survival of the fittest and dog eat dog and so forth.
- And it's all about, you know, you know, right, it might is right and survival of the fittest.
Examples
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And why all the dog-eat-dog destruction along the way, the grim contest of the survival of the fittest?
Academic text (2010) -
Okay, but right now, look, we're just talking about survival of the fittest.
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There will be an ongoing "survival of the fittest" battle among languages.
Academic text (2012) -
Actually, the former is part of the process, namely survival of the fittest by means of natural selection.
Blog text (4) -
The more familiar term, at least in the life sciences, is survival of the fittest.
Fiction book (2002) -
I still believe there can be a more organized way of things than the survival-of-the-fittest, free-market economy.
Fiction book (1994) -
I believe strongly in the theory of Darwin, the survival of the fittest.
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Recall that Darwin discussed natural selection and survival of the fittest with respect to animals.
Academic text (1991) -
In the harsh conditions of the jungle, only those with the best adaptations will ensure their survival of the fittest.
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The wildlife documentary beautifully illustrated the idea of survival of the fittest through the struggles of different species.
Synonyms
98
3.7
The process where living things with useful traits survive and reproduce more
43
3.9
A process in which plants and animals better suited to their home survive and have more young
13
7.5
The idea that species change over time by natural selection
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase meaning ('only the organisms best adapted are likely to survive') is directly derivable from combining 'survival' (continuing to live) with 'the fittest' (superlative of 'fit' = the most suited or healthy). The grammatical 'X of the Y' composition and the obvious superlative relationship make the concept transparent and likely comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Survival of the fittest is a short picture of how nature works: the animals or plants that fit their home best stay alive and have babies. The word fittest here means 'best adapted', not just 'strongest', so the phrase now means that those most suited to their place are the ones who survive.