atavism

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Synonyms: atavist

Antonyms: atavist

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Noun

1. The [[reappearance]] of an [[ancestral]] [[characteristic]] in an [[organism]] after several [[generation]]s of [[absence]]; a [[throwback]].
2. The recurrence or reversion to a past [[behaviour]], [[method]], [[characteristic]] or [[style]] after a long period of absence.
3. {{lb|en|sociology}} A [[reversion]] to past primitive behavior, especially violence.

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.