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Definition of 'atavistic'

Word Frequency

atavistic

(ætəvɪstɪk )
adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Atavistic feelings or behaviour seem to be very primitive, like the feelings or behaviour of our earliest ancestors.
[formal]
...an atavistic fear of snakes.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency

atavistic in British

(ˌætəˈvɪstɪk )
adjective
of or relating to atavism
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
atavistically (ˌataˈvistically)
  adverb

Example sentences containing 'atavistic'

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
There is something atavistic about football. Times, Sunday Times (2006)She shows how hunting in its broadest sense was endemic across the social divides and reaches to an atavistic instinct in our kind. Times, Sunday Times (2008)But also, there is something pleasingly atavistic about looking at wildlife through the naked eye. Times, Sunday Times (2008)Sport deals in atavistic fear, a commodity that is otherwise hard to come by in the 21st century. Times, Sunday Times (2007)In this moderation he has the atavistic sense of the responsibility of what used to be known as'a public services broadcaster '. Times, Sunday Times (2009)Only education, and the rational acceptance that society has to be inclusive to survive, is there to counteract our atavistic instincts. Times, Sunday Times (2007)

Trends of 'atavistic'

Used Occasionally. atavistic is one of the 30000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

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Nearby words of 'atavistic'

  • ataraxia
  • Atatürk
  • atavism
  • atavistic
  • ataxia
  • ATB
  • Atbara

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'A'

Source

Definition of atavistic from the Collins English Dictionary

The noun phrase

A noun phrase is a word or group of words that can function as the subject, the object, or the complement in a sentence. The manager interviewed all the applicants on Tuesday. Lydia was the su...
Read more about 'The noun phrase'
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Scrabble score for 'atavistic': 14
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