gradualism

== English == === Etymology === From gradual +‎ -ism. === Noun === gradualism (countable and uncountable, plural gradualisms) (biology) The belief that evolution proceeds at a steady pace, without the sudden development of new species or biological features from one generation to the next. (transferred sense) The belief that some phenomenon occurs gradually over a long period of time. (politics) The belief that change ought to be brought about in small, discrete increments rather than in abrupt strokes such as revolutions or uprisings. ==== Derived terms ==== phyletic gradualism ==== Translations ==== === See also === punctuationism saltationism