Meaning & use
survival of the fittest
The principle that organisms best adapted to their environment are most likely to survive and reproduce.
See it in a sentence
The professor explained survival of the fittest using examples of camouflage in insects.
In the harsh market, only the most efficient companies followed survival of the fittest.
A note on using this word
The phrase is closely associated with Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, though it was popularized by the philosopher Herbert Spencer.
Words with a similar meaning
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