What does antievolution mean?
Antievolution refers to opposition to the theory of biological evolution — the scientifically established account of how life has diversified over time through processes such as natural selection. The word functions chiefly as a noun describing either this general stance of resistance or, more specifically, the organized campaigns and legislation that have sought to keep evolution out of public school classrooms. It is most closely associated with the United States in the 1920s, when several states passed statutes banning the teaching of Darwin's ideas, culminating in the famous Scopes 'Monkey Trial' of 1925. Writers may use the closed form 'antievolution' or the hyphenated 'anti-evolution', with the latter more common in everyday prose and the former frequent in academic histories. Related terms include creationism and creation science, though these denote particular belief systems rather than opposition as such. Antonyms include evolutionism and Darwinism. Understanding antievolution helps clarify debates about science education, religion, and public policy that continue today.
nounOpposition to the theory of evolution, especially opposition to its teaching in schools or its acceptance as the explanation for the diversity of life. The term is used both of the movement itself and of policies or arguments directed against evolutionary science.
- Opposition to the scientific theory of biological evolution, whether on religious, philosophical, or other grounds.
- The historical and political movement — especially in early 20th-century America — to prohibit or restrict the teaching of evolution in public schools.
"The state's antievolution laws of the 1920s barred teachers from presenting Darwin's theory in public classrooms."
"Fundamentalist groups launched an antievolution campaign aimed at removing Darwin from biology curricula."
"Historians regard the Scopes Trial as the defining confrontation of the American antievolution movement."
Rarely pluralized; the word normally functions as a singular mass noun referring to a stance or movement rather than countable instances.
"Different regions saw distinct antievolutions emerge, each shaped by local religious traditions."
In 1925, Tennessee's 'Butler Act' made it illegal to teach human evolution — the law that triggered the Scopes 'Monkey Trial' and became the face of American antievolution.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of antievolution
Antievolution is formed from the prefix 'anti-', meaning 'against' or 'opposed to' (ultimately from Greek), combined with 'evolution', which derives from the Latin 'evolvere', meaning 'to unroll' or 'to unfold'. As a term it emerged in the nineteenth century once Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection attracted organized religious and cultural resistance, becoming especially prominent in American discourse during the 1920s antievolution crusade. Its cognates share the same Latin root, including 'evolve', 'evolutionary', and 'devolution'.
How antievolution is actually used
Typically written with a hyphen (anti-evolution) in modern usage; the closed form 'antievolution' is common in scholarly and historical writing about the early 20th-century American movement. The word carries no inherent connotation beyond identifying a stance of opposition, though context usually frames it relative to mainstream scientific consensus.
Easily confused with antievolution
Evolution is the scientific theory that species change over time through natural selection; antievolution is opposition to that theory.
Anti-evolution is simply a hyphenated spelling of the same concept, whereas some writers reserve 'antievolution' for the organized legal and political movement against teaching evolution.