ATAVISM Synonyms: 18 Similar and Opposite Words

atavism

noun

as in relapse

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of atavism Western elites believed that in the twenty-first century, cosmopolitanism and globalism would triumph over atavism and tribal loyalties. —Walter Russell Mead, Foreign Affairs, 20 Jan. 2017 This sumptuous piece of theatrical atavism bore little resemblance to the actual events of Mozart’s life, but most nonpurist musicians happily accepted the melodramatization; quite apart from the thespian pyrotechnics, the sophisticated choice of music was a revelation. —Simon Callow, The New York Review of Books, 22 Dec. 2022 Is my interest in the moon some dormant atavism from a more primitive era of human life? —Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Oct. 2022

Recent Examples of Synonyms for atavism

Noun

Monitor Early Warning Signs of Burnout Burnout relapse doesn’t happen overnight.

— Amanda Miller Littlejohn, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
The treatments range from oral medications to infusions to help ward off relapses, slow down the disease progression, and ease inflammation in the central nervous system.

— Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 28 Jan. 2025