atavic
/əˈtævɪk/
adjective
- Relating to or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type; showing a return to a trait or feature of a remote ancestor.
- The artist's style had an atavic quality, echoing ancient cave paintings.
- The biologist studied the atavic pattern in the bird's feathers, which resembled those of its prehistoric relatives.
- Some people have an atavic fear of snakes, a leftover from our evolutionary past.
Antonyms