as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period
primeval forests slowly disappearing as the climate changed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of primeval
Does Dellinger’s death suggest that Utah Territory, and by extension America itself, will always be driven by primeval conflict?
—
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2025
The ridge itself is a timeline across the landscape, linking today’s elaborate gardens to the east with sunset views over the primeval topography of conserved lands to the west.
—airmail.news, 16 Nov. 2024
Yakushima Island, located 37 miles south from the southern tip of Kyushu Island, is home to a primeval temperate rainforest with thousand-year-old cedar trees, known as yakusugi.
—Anna Mazurek, AFAR Media, 16 Dec. 2024
Goth, primeval décor is in the air, but this is an extreme case.
—Jocelyn Silver, Architectural Digest, 13 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for primeval
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2025
The ridge itself is a timeline across the landscape, linking today’s elaborate gardens to the east with sunset views over the primeval topography of conserved lands to the west.
—airmail.news, 16 Nov. 2024
Yakushima Island, located 37 miles south from the southern tip of Kyushu Island, is home to a primeval temperate rainforest with thousand-year-old cedar trees, known as yakusugi.
—Anna Mazurek, AFAR Media, 16 Dec. 2024
Goth, primeval décor is in the air, but this is an extreme case.
—Jocelyn Silver, Architectural Digest, 13 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for primeval
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primeval
Adjective
-
Nobody had ever birthed a mammal that had ancient DNA in it.—
D. T. Max,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
-
The gray wolves share physical features with dire wolves but remain genetically and behaviorally distinct due to the limits of current technology and incomplete ancient DNA.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.—
Joseph J. Kolb,
Fox News,
18 July 2017
-
Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Adjective
-
The truth is, sure—the odd primal scream or rage run probably isn’t gonna hurt ya.—
Carolyn L. Todd,
SELF,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Gaga ended the song with a primal scream, her eyes wide and unblinking.—
Rachel Syme,
The New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Adjective
-
To get around that, the scientists first tap into the fertilized egg of a pink pigeon and extract what are known as primordial germ cells (PGCs)—the cells that eventually become sperm and egg.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
7 Apr. 2025
-
My body, equipped with the primordial fear of starvation, was a formidable foe.—
Emma Pattee,
Glamour,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Mahdi's earliest memory was his father slamming his mother through a glass table and later lying to his son and saying his mother was dead.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Colossal said two of the dire wolves were born late last year, while the third arrived in early 2025.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Primeval.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primeval. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share