natural selection

noun

: a natural process that results in the survival and reproductive success of individuals or groups best adjusted to their environment and that leads to the perpetuation of genetic qualities best suited to that particular environment

Examples of natural selection in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The pressures of natural selection rewarded us for navigating between them. —Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2024

In a harsh twist of natural selection, storks condemn their weakest chicks to death by throwing them from the nest. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

After the interbreeding, natural selection kept a few traits from Neanderthals while ditching many more. —Evan Bush, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2024

Biological evolution, with DNA mutations creating the configurations that persist through reproduction and natural selection, would then be only one subset of this broader law. —Paul Voosen, science.org, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

natural selection

noun

: a natural process in which individuals or groups best adapted to the conditions under which they live survive and produce young and poorly adapted forms are eliminated

Medical Definition

natural selection

noun

: a natural process that results in the survival and reproductive success of individuals or groups best adjusted to their environment and that leads to the perpetuation of genetic qualities best suited to that particular environment