prehistoric
adjective
pre·his·tor·ic
ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-ik 
-ˈstär-
variants
or less commonly prehistorical
ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-i-kəl
-ˈstär-
1
: of, relating to, or existing in times antedating written history
2
: of or relating to a language in a period of its development from which contemporary records of its sounds and forms have not been preserved
3
: regarded as being outdated or outmoded
prehistoric attitudes
Examples of prehistoric in a Sentence
His attitudes about women are downright prehistoric.
prehistoric notions about mental illness that have no place in today's world
Recent Examples on the Web
Catalogs of data like mine abound in Netflix viewing histories, prehistoric Facebook posts, and, now, dialogues with ChatGPT—imprints of the way the web informs and commoditizes work and friendship, sorrow and joy.
—
Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025
Every year, more than one million tourists and Southern California locals stream through the La Brea Tar Pits and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, taking in prehistoric fossils and centuries-old artifacts.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2025
From there, the byway shoots west toward Mancos and Mesa Verde National Park, home to one of the densest collections of prehistoric ruins in the U.S.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2025
But now, the prehistoric species called dire wolves, thought to have died out in North America 4,000 years ago, are back in the real world, thanks to Colossal Biosciences work the company touts as the world’s first successful de-extinction effort.
—David Bloom, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prehistoric
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Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025
Every year, more than one million tourists and Southern California locals stream through the La Brea Tar Pits and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, taking in prehistoric fossils and centuries-old artifacts.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2025
From there, the byway shoots west toward Mancos and Mesa Verde National Park, home to one of the densest collections of prehistoric ruins in the U.S.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2025
But now, the prehistoric species called dire wolves, thought to have died out in North America 4,000 years ago, are back in the real world, thanks to Colossal Biosciences work the company touts as the world’s first successful de-extinction effort.
—David Bloom, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prehistoric
Cite this Entry
“Prehistoric.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prehistoric. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prehistoric
adjective
pre·his·tor·ic
ˌprē-(h)is-ˈtȯr-ik
-ˈtär-
: of, relating to, or existing in times before written history
prehistoric animals
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