uniformitarian
Americanadjective
-
supporting, conforming to, or derived from a theory or doctrine about uniformity, especially on the subject of geology.
-
Geology. of or relating to the thesis that processes that operated in the remote geological past are not different from those observed now.
noun
adjective
-
of or relating to uniformitarianism
-
of, characterized by, or conforming to uniformity
noun
Other Word Forms
- uniformitarianism noun
Etymology
Origin of uniformitarian
First recorded in 1830–40; uniformit(y) + -arian
Explanation
A uniformitarian is someone who agrees with the idea that the processes affecting Earth's geology have always acted in essentially the same way they do today. All modern-day scientists are uniformitarians. Before the mid-1800s, most scientists were catastrophists, believing that Earth's natural formations developed quickly from a series of catastrophic events and that mass extinctions were followed by brand new life forms. The modern science of geology grew out of uniformitarians realizing that the processes and natural laws observed today have existed throughout history. They saw that uniform changes over time account for all of the planet's remarkable features, from canyons and river valleys to mountains and islands.
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.
Hancock's plaint is that mainstream science is stuck in a uniformitarian model of slow, gradual change and so cannot accept a catastrophic explanation.
From Scientific American • Jun. 12, 2017
It is logical to use these proportions as prior probabilities by making a uniformitarian assumption that they were similar in the Mesozoic.
From Science Magazine • Dec. 22, 2011
And the reply is, once more, that, for anything that can be proved to the contrary, one or two hundred million years might serve the purpose, even of a thoroughgoing Huttonian uniformitarian, very well.
From Discourses Biological and Geological Essays by Huxley, Thomas Henry
We have said that Darwin's hypothesis is the natural complement to Lyell's uniformitarian theory in physical geology.
From Darwiniana; Essays and Reviews Pertaining to Darwinism by Gray, Asa
But, of course, the uniformitarian faith permitted no such explanation, nor could it countenance the projection idea; so Lyell was bound to find some other means of transportation for the puzzling erratics.
From A History of Science — Volume 3 by Williams, Henry Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.