survival of the fittest

survival of the fittest
the survival of the fittest
the idea that the most able or fit will survive (while the less able and less fit will perish). (This is used literally as a principle of the theory of evolution.) •

In college, it's the survival of the fittest. You have to keep working in order to survive and graduate.

I don't give my houseplants very good care, but the ones I have are really flourishing. It's the survival of the fittest, I guess.

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{n. phr.} The staying alive or in action of the best prepared; often: idea that those living things best able to adjust to life survive and those unable to adjust die out. * /Life in the old West was often a case of survival of the fittest./ * /With changes in the world's climate, dinosaurs died but many smaller animals lived on. It was survival of the fittest./ * /On the 50-mile hike it was survival of the fittest; only 12 out of 25 Scouts finished./

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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  • survival of the fittest — {n. phr.} The staying alive or in action of the best prepared; often: idea that those living things best able to adjust to life survive and those unable to adjust die out. * /Life in the old West was often a case of survival of the fittest./ *… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • survival of the fittest — ► the idea that only the strongest can succeed: »Unfettered competition has led to survival of the fittest, with a few large companies reaping huge profits while small companies have been driven out of business. Main Entry: ↑survival …   Financial and business terms

  • Survival of the fittest — Survival Sur*viv al, n. [From {Survive}.] 1. A living or continuing longer than, or beyond the existence of, another person, thing, or event; an outliving. [1913 Webster] 2. (Arh[ae]ol. & Ethnol.) Any habit, usage, or belief, remaining from… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • survival of the fittest — the idea that your survival depends on competing successfully within your environment with other creatures of your own type In business, it s the survival of the fittest …   English dictionary

  • survival of the fittest — ► survival of the fittest Biology the continued existence of the organisms best adapted to their environment; natural selection. Main Entry: ↑survival …   English terms dictionary

  • survival of the fittest — survival of the fittest. См. выживание наиболее приспособленных. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • survival of the fittest — n. nontechnical term for NATURAL SELECTION …   English World dictionary

  • Survival of the fittest — For other uses, see Survival of the fittest (disambiguation). Herbert Spencer coined the phrase, survival of the fittest. Survival of the fittest is a phrase which is commonly used in contexts other than intended by its first two proponents:… …   Wikipedia

  • Survival of the Fittest — Herbert Spencer, der Urheber des Begriffs „Survival of the Fittest“ „Survival of the Fittest“ bedeutet im Sinne der Darwin’schen Evolutionstheorie das Überleben der bestangepassten Individuen. Dieser Ausdruck wurde im Jahr 1864 durch den… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Survival of the fittest — Herbert Spencer, der Urheber des Begriffs „Survival of the Fittest“ „Survival of the Fittest“ bedeutet im Sinne der Darwinschen Evolutionstheorie das Überleben der bestangepassten Individuen. Dieser Ausdruck wurde im Jahr 1864 durch den… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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