survival of the fittest
survival of the fittest — noun
1. the idea that living things whose features suit their surroundings better tend t
the idea that living things whose features suit their surroundings better tend to live longer and have young, while less suitable ones die out
Darwin used survival of the fittest to explain why some species last.
pattern: use survival of the fittest to explain
On the dry island, survival of the fittest favored birds with stronger beaks.
biology context: adaptation to local conditions
In the cheap phone market, many founders see business as survival of the fittest.
Professor Salma warned that calling war survival of the fittest distorts Darwin's idea.
After the merger, Ignacio joked that the office was pure survival of the fittest.
- natural selection
the standard scientific term; survival of the fittest is more vivid and often used more loosely
- dog-eat-dog competition
more informal and focused on ruthless social or business competition, not biological theory
文法句型
survival of the fittest
a case of survival of the fittest
believe in survival of the fittest
用法筆記
Usually appears as a fixed phrase rather than in a shorter form. It began as a term in biology, but people also use it more loosely for harsh competition where only the best-prepared succeed.