evolution of the gaps
evolution of the gaps proper noun: evolution, when used as an explanation for anything that is yet unexplained by science.
Proper noun
evolution of the gaps
- Evolution, when used as an explanation for anything that is yet unexplained by science.
- Well, this is 'evolution-of-the-gaps.' Some scientists merely insert evolution when they don't understand something. “Look —we may not understand everything about these biological systems, but we do know some things.”2009, Lee Strobel, The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God, Zondervan, →ISBN
- It is therefore clear how an evolution-of-the-gaps could be just as metaphysically motivated for an incautious atheist as a God-of-the-gaps could be for an incautious theist.2010, Michael L. Peterson, Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings, Oxford University Press, USA
Origin of evolution of the gaps
By analogy to God of the gaps.
Questions about evolution of the gaps
- What does evolution of the gaps mean?
- Evolution of the gaps means evolution, when used as an explanation for anything that is yet unexplained by science.
- What part of speech is evolution of the gaps?
- Evolution of the gaps is a proper noun.
Words near evolution of the gaps in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: evolution of the gaps (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “evolution of the gaps.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/evolution_of_the_gaps. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.