Meaning & use
atavistic
Last updated
Relating to or characterized by the reappearance of an ancestral trait or primitive behavior after a long absence.
See it in a sentence
Some psychologists describe our fear of the dark as an atavistic response inherited from early humans.
The crowd's atavistic urge to riot surprised even the organizers of the peaceful protest.
A note on using this word
Atavistic is often used to describe instincts or behaviors that seem to come from a more primitive evolutionary past rather than learned culture.
Words with a similar meaning
primitiveancestral
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Words with an opposite meaning
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