Evolution is gradual change over time. Revolution is sudden, complete change — the overthrow of a system, or one full turn. The evolution of the bicycle; the French Revolution. Both describe change; the speed and the violence are the difference.
The core difference
- evolution — gradual development; in biology, the change of species across generations. The evolution of language, evolution by natural selection, an evolution, not a revolution.
- revolution — a forcible overthrow of a government or order; any sudden, sweeping change; one complete rotation. The industrial revolution, a revolution in medicine, revolutions per minute.
The tell
Evolution unrolls; revolution turns over. The adjectives say it best: evolutionary change is step by step, revolutionary change breaks with what came before. The stock phrase evolution, not revolution exists precisely because the two are the poles of one scale.
In use
- evolution — The car's design is an evolution of last year's model. Evolution explains the diversity of life.
- revolution — The revolution swept away the old order in a year. The wheel makes sixty revolutions a minute.
Common slips
- the industrial evolution → the industrial revolution
- Darwin's theory of revolution → Darwin's theory of evolution
Evolution unrolls; revolution turns over.
Where the words come from
Evolution is from Latin evolvere, "to unroll" — a scroll, then a gradual unfolding. Revolution is from Latin revolvere, "to roll back, to turn over" — first the turning of the heavens, then a turning-over of the state. Both are volvere, "to roll", with different prefixes: out versus back.
Frequently asked questions
Can a change be both?
Writers use "evolution, not revolution" to insist it is gradual. A change is one or the other by its pace; evolutionary is incremental, revolutionary is a break.
What does revolution mean in engineering?
One complete turn — as in revolutions per minute.
Is evolution only about biology?
No — any gradual development: the evolution of a language, a city, a style.