social Darwinism
noun
: an extension of Darwinism to social phenomena
specifically
: a sociological theory that sociocultural advance is the product of intergroup conflict and competition and the socially elite classes (such as those possessing wealth and power) possess biological superiority in the struggle for existence
social Darwinist
noun or adjective
Examples of social Darwinism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
How about the aggressive capitalism and social Darwinism of the United States?
—
Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024
LaVey embraced social Darwinism, for instance — but that was the point: Satanism doesn’t shy away from the baseness of human nature.
—Alex Bhattacharji, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2024
An exaggerated respect for their own militaries and the widespread influence of social Darwinism encouraged a belief that war was a noble and necessary part of a nation’s struggle for survival.
—Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2020
Next, the researchers asked participants to complete a series of personality tests to understand which facets of personality were most predictive of social Darwinism beliefs.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2021
Often plucked from the coterie of wealthy corporate attorneys representing the robber barons, his brethren perceived attempts to mitigate the scourges of the Gilded Age — child labor, hazardous workplaces and monopolies — as threats to their faith in laissez-faire capitalism and social Darwinism.
—Washington Post, 16 July 2021
Steeped in social Darwinism, Mellon viewed the acquisition of wealth as a mark of merit and poverty as a failure of character.
—Patricia Callahan, ProPublica, 15 Dec. 2021
Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024
LaVey embraced social Darwinism, for instance — but that was the point: Satanism doesn’t shy away from the baseness of human nature.
—Alex Bhattacharji, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2024
An exaggerated respect for their own militaries and the widespread influence of social Darwinism encouraged a belief that war was a noble and necessary part of a nation’s struggle for survival.
—Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2020
Next, the researchers asked participants to complete a series of personality tests to understand which facets of personality were most predictive of social Darwinism beliefs.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2021
Often plucked from the coterie of wealthy corporate attorneys representing the robber barons, his brethren perceived attempts to mitigate the scourges of the Gilded Age — child labor, hazardous workplaces and monopolies — as threats to their faith in laissez-faire capitalism and social Darwinism.
—Washington Post, 16 July 2021
Steeped in social Darwinism, Mellon viewed the acquisition of wealth as a mark of merit and poverty as a failure of character.
—Patricia Callahan, ProPublica, 15 Dec. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'social Darwinism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Social Darwinism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20Darwinism. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
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