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
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Recent Examples of primeval
Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border opens on a wide shot of an endless stretch of trees — the densely forested, almost primeval zone marking the boundary between Belarus and Poland where much of the film will take place.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 June 2024
This enormous park, which sits mostly in Wyoming’s northwestern corner with slices in Idaho and Montana, offers plenty of conventional lodging choices, but there’s no better way to experience this primeval place than by camping.
—Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Feb. 2023
Minervini is interested in the primeval aspects of American history — not the cultural force that John Huston captured in his adaptation of Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage.
—Armond White, National Review, 2 Oct. 2024
The call had lost all its musical quality and was now the wail of some primeval beast.
—Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for primeval 
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 June 2024
This enormous park, which sits mostly in Wyoming’s northwestern corner with slices in Idaho and Montana, offers plenty of conventional lodging choices, but there’s no better way to experience this primeval place than by camping.
—Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Feb. 2023
Minervini is interested in the primeval aspects of American history — not the cultural force that John Huston captured in his adaptation of Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage.
—Armond White, National Review, 2 Oct. 2024
The call had lost all its musical quality and was now the wail of some primeval beast.
—Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for primeval
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primeval
Adjective
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As in the novel the story is based on, the events kick off with the Yellow Turban Rebellion, which was a revolt during the late Eastern Han dynasty of ancient China.—
Diego Argüello,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2025
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Met Gala to a dusty archaeological dig in 1930s Egypt in this masterful historical mystery centering on a cursed ancient artifact.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
People.com,
12 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Adjective
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The fear of being next on the social media chopping block prevents us from admitting our ugly insecurities, our primal urges, or our more taboo thoughts.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
31 Dec. 2024
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But longtime plunge aficionados say the allure often boils down to one primal need: community.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA TODAY,
29 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Does the music industry instantly revert to the prehistoric epoch of 2017—will Snapchat become the hottest major label scouting ground?—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
17 Jan. 2025
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Consider Lascaux in France, which is a cave covered in prehistoric art.—
Michelle Mastro,
Architectural Digest,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In our own solar system, comets are among the most primordial material—leftovers from the protoplanetary disk.—
Elise Cutts,
WIRED,
22 Dec. 2024
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There is a primordial quality to the woods that oscillates between cacophonous forest chatter and eerie silence in the space of a ridge or two.—
Laura Lancaster,
Outdoor Life,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Basing their findings on an analysis of more than 5,000 start-up entrepreneurs across 44 countries, the report’s authors argue that more needs to be done to enable women in their late thirties and early forties to pursue their social entrepreneurship ambitions.—
Trevor Clawson,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
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Need something easy to throw on for that early morning flight?—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near primeval
Cite this Entry
“Primeval.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primeval. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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