noun

natural selection

the survival of organisms best suited to their environment

In more detail

1. (noun) the process by which living things that are best suited to their environment tend to survive and have more babies, while those less suited die off, leading to gradual changes in a species over time

2. (noun) the theory that explains how different species evolve and develop from earlier species through this process

Examples

1. Natural selection favors animals with better camouflage in their habitat.
2. Darwin's theory of natural selection changed how we understand life on Earth.

How to use natural selection

Natural selection is used in biology and evolutionary science to describe both the mechanism by which organisms adapt to their environment and the overarching theory explaining biodiversity. It is more precise and technical than the colloquial phrase 'survival of the fittest,' which oversimplifies the concept by focusing only on competition rather than environmental adaptation.

Common phrases

natural selection operates
process of natural selection
theory of natural selection
natural selection pressure
through natural selection

Synonyms

evolution · survival of the fittest · differential reproduction · adaptive evolution

Word family

select (verb) · selection (noun) · selective (adjective) · selectively (adverb) · naturally (adverb)

A common mistake

Learners often confuse natural selection with evolution itself, when natural selection is actually the primary mechanism through which evolution occurs; evolution is the broader change in species over time, while natural selection is the process driving that change.

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