Words / C2

at-uh-VIST-ik/ˌætəˈvɪstɪk/

Atavistic means recurring as if from a distant ancestor; a throwback (formal): an atavistic fear, atavistic rivalry. Hereditary (already in the dictionary) is passed down the family line, of a title or trait, not of a sudden reversion. Nascent (already in the dictionary) is newly forming — the opposite flavour of time. Ancient (already in the dictionary) is simply very old. Canapés are not a health close-out.

Meaning

Recurring as if from a distant ancestor; a throwback (formal).

Examples

• “An atavistic fuss about the canapés is not a health item.”
• “Hereditary is passed down the line (already in C1). Nascent is newly forming (already in C2) — the contrast. Ancient is very old (already in A2). Taste at a gala can be exact. Taste instead of a dated flame-risk line is noise. Name the owner of the door; leave the menu for the social.”

Good to know

Ancestral throwback (formal). Close: hereditary (already in C1). Contrast: nascent (newly forming — already in C2). Canapés ≠ a flame.

Near in meaning

throwback, ancestral, primitive, reversionary

New