evolucionar
verbCEFR B2
What does “evolucionar” mean in English?
to evolve, to develop gradually
to evolve, to develop gradually (intransitive; directional adaptive change; evolucionar hacia / de…a…)
Example sentences
La actitud de la sociedad hacia el medio ambiente ha evolucionado de manera notable en la última década.
Society's attitude towards the environment has evolved considerably in the last decade.
El mercado laboral está evolucionando rápidamente hacia modelos más flexibles y menos jerarquizados.
The labour market is evolving rapidly towards more flexible and less hierarchical models.
El concepto de familia ha evolucionado de una estructura nuclear a formas mucho más diversas.
The concept of family has evolved from a nuclear structure to much more diverse forms.
How to use it
Evolucionar means 'to evolve' or 'to develop gradually'. It is intransitive and describes gradual, often positive change in systems, attitudes, or organisations over time. Key construction: evolucionar + hacia (towards) or evolucionar + de… a… (from… to…). Common in journalistic, academic, and policy registers. The noun is la evolución. Don't confuse with desarrollarse (to develop — implies growth towards maturity) or cambiar (to change — neutral, can be sudden) — evolucionar specifically implies gradual, adaptive, directional change.
Common mistake
Evolucionar is intransitive — it cannot take a direct object. You cannot *evolucionar a la empresa; the company (subject) evolves. Use transformar (transitive) if you want to say you change something. The hacia or de…a… directional structures are key for expressing trajectory — don't leave the direction implicit in formal writing.