atavistic

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Warriors can be primitive and atavistic—which is to say brutal.
战士可以是原始和返祖性的——也可以说野蛮。
Sometimes, this atavistic tendency ends in tears, when it prompts us to act contrary to what is, on reflection, our self-interest. (Witness stock-market crashes, stampedes and tamagotchi.)
但是有时候这种原始性的行为倾向以悲剧告终——当它促使我们在经过考虑之后向着与自身利益相反的方向行动的时候（股票市场崩盘，一大群人惊慌奔逃和玩电子鸡游戏的现象都说明了这一点）。
Equally, efforts to get Russia to join the World Trade Organisation should be stepped up, as its rules would usefully trammel the atavistic impulse within the regime to slide towards protectionism.
同时，也应该努力加快俄罗斯进入世贸组织的步伐，因为世贸组织的条例会有效地限制俄罗斯政权内部向原有的贸易保护主义倾斜的冲动。

In other words, everything about poetry is atavistic.
换句话说，诗歌的一切，都是复古的。
耶鲁公开课 - 文学理论导论课程节选
Just as Richards says, there's always something kind of archaic or atavistic about poetic thinking. It's not just that - it's not trying to tell the truth, as Sidney said-- "nothing lieth because it never affirmeth."
就像Richards说的，关于诗意的思考，总有些事情过时了,诗歌并非,拒绝陈述事实，正如Sidney说的-,“没有伪造的东西因为一切都不是真的“
耶鲁公开课 - 文学理论导论课程节选

So Mr Trimble must particularly dread a violent clash between atavistic hardliners and progressives.
ECONOMIST: Northern Ireland
Even if the embargo is bloody-minded and atavistic, Castro's position--"Socialism or Death"--is many times crazier.
CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Castro Inconvertible

happening because of a very old habit from a long time ago in human history, not because of a conscious decision or because it is necessary now

Atavistic feelings or behaviour seem to be very primitive, like the feelings or behaviour of our earliest ancestors.