The word "evolution" can be used in many contexts: biological, sociological and others. This word in everyday life has a sharply positive connotation, most often an expression of approval of an action aimed at improving something. This word is also interesting in that it is definitely impossible to pick up an antonym for it. Even if you consult an explanatory dictionary, you may be disappointed.
Variants
In general, evolution is a multifaceted concept. This is the process of the development of life on Earth, transformation, development, and in marine terminology, evolution is a change in order, formation. Since this word was originally applied to biology, it would be logical to choose an antonym in this context. Involution is only partly the antonym, since involution is a by-product of evolution, the loss or degradation of an organ. Degradation, by the way, can also act as an antonym, since the process of degradation is sharply opposite to the process of evolution, it is destruction, withering away, simplification. Regression is already a concept more displaced from biology into sociology, meaning movement in a direction directly opposite to evolution, the loss of positions and achievements. However, none of the concepts can be regarded as unambiguously correct as an antonym to the word "evolution", since they belong to different categories of knowledge, and somewhere overlap with each other.
Ambiguity
There is, however, an opinion on the part of linguistics. The word "evolution" means change, movement. If in everyday life it is used as a symbol of moving forward, to something new, then, in fact, this is not entirely true. Evolution is movement in general; it has no definite direction. Evolution may occur towards deterioration, and maybe even towards improvement. Thus, it will not be possible to choose an antonym that is applicable to all contexts in which the word “evolution” is used; it is necessary to correct for the semantic meaning in each specific context. This is, for the most part, the problem of the Russian language, where the number of words gives a wide scope for their interpretation from completely different points of view, each of which will have the right to exist, while correlating with a different point of view. European languages do not have such a problem, since there are several separate words with different meanings to denote this term.
What to do?
As already mentioned, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to this question. The depth of the Russian language here does not play into the hands of the speaker, forcing him to think over the statement once again. So you can't take the word out of context. The only salvation is to decide in advance whether you are using the word in the sense of a positive movement or a negative one. Only then will your speech acquire the harmony that befits it, and you will become a recognized master of casuistry.
