atavistic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Giant” is a probing character study that raises the discomfiting question of how a man of intelligence and imagination could hold such atavistic and pernicious views.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
“Parade,” which delves into antisemitism, systemic bias in our judicial system and the power of a wily demagogue to stoke atavistic hatred for self-gain, has a disconcerting timeliness.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2025
Kevin Mallon, 40, a shopkeeper on the bustling Falls Road, a Catholic stronghold, said nationalists were more interested in economic prosperity than in uniting with the South, even if that idea still holds atavistic appeal.
From New York Times • Apr. 30, 2022
But many women called it a put-down, an atavistic reaction to the feminist movement.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2021
Except in some atavistic part of his brain, he knows exactly what they’ll do.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Vocabulary lists containing atavistic
Into the Wild
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Fences
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The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
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