Atavistic
(pronounced at-uh-vis-tik) adjective
Definition
from the noun atavism.
Atavism (pronounced at-uh-viz-um) = 1. the reappearance in an organism of a characteristic or trait that existed in a remote ancestor, and usually caused by genetic recombination; recurrence of something ancient or ancestral.
2. reversion to a past type, behavior, habit, pursuit, point of view, way of doing (or dealing with) something, etc.
3. one that exhibits such a reversion; throwback.
Main Example
- Barack Obama's now-famous so-called "Race Speech," delivered last March in Philadelphia, became a defining moment of his candidacy and helped contain the potentially destructive controversy over the videotaped inflammatory statements of his pastor Jeremiah Wright. Talking about the strengths and failings of Rev. Wright in that speech, Obama pointed out that everybody has some contradictions, including his own white grandmother, who made many a sacrifice while raising him, but who also had an atavistic fear of black men who passed her on the street.
Workplace Examples
- After nearly two decades of always going straight to my computer whenever I've wanted to write, say, an essay or a letter, I have atavistically begun to draft my important writings first in longhand on a notepad, just as I used to do before the advent of the PC. I find that sketching a proposed email or other communication on paper produces a much clearer expression of my thoughts, while also causing less strain on the eye.
- Though we realize it's not necessarily a popular or modern idea, my husband and I have this desire--this atavistic desire--that our recently married daughter should be purely a homemaker, and that her husband should be the one responsible for earning money for their family.
Other Examples
- somebody saying: "Unlike any of my forebears, I love wading into the sea, and being lashed by waves. Considering that I can barely swim and never go anywhere close to a swimming pool, this visceral attraction for the ocean seems to be inexplicable. Maybe it's a case of atavism. After all, life started in the sea!"
- a case of architectural atavism, such as in historic districts where new building designs incorporate elements derived from classical architectural styles such as Greek, Roman, or Gothic
- a man in his late 70s pursuing an atavistic interest in stamp collecting--a hobby that he had while in junior high
- Even as recently as last summer, who could have imagined that within just a few months the government will be ready to spend tens of billions of dollars to rebuild the nation's infrastructure, à la FDR's New Deal of more that 70 years ago. But that sort of economic atavism is exactly what the new administration in Washington is ready to embark upon, in its bid to rapidly create jobs for the unemployed.
