prehistoric

adjective

pre·​his·​tor·​ic ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-ik How to pronounce prehistoric (audio)
-ˈstär-
variants or less commonly prehistorical
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: regarded as being outdated or outmoded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
prehistorically adverb

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 For eons this vital waterway has attracted animals and humans alike, and has been the foundation for agricultural cultures from prehistoric times to the modern day. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 The apparent board game bears some similarities to other prehistoric games from other cultures, including senet, an Egyptian game, as well as Mancala, which originated in Jordan. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 The juxtaposition of a prehistoric meteorite with a contemporary self-winding movement does not go unnoticed. Nancy Olson, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Schmidt and his team discovered the prehistoric glue by paying close attention to something others had overlooked: several stone artifacts, believed to be hunting tools, that were unearthed in 1910 at the French archaeological site Le Moustier. Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024 In a 2017 study in Science Advances, researchers looked at fossils from prehistoric Central Europeans who lived an agrarian life sometime between 5300 B.C.E and 850 A.D. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024 While the reptile was first identified in 2003, this latest discovery is more complete — about 16 feet long — and allowed the scientists to depict the strange, prehistoric creature in full for the first time. Diba Mohtasham, NPR, 23 Feb. 2024 The study, published in Nature, is part of a larger study examining the genomes and DNA of the prehistoric Nordic population. Bradford Betz, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2024 Such a diet is commonly found among prehistoric dogs at archaeological sites. Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prehistoric.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prehistoric was in 1832

Dictionary Entries Near prehistoric

Cite this Entry

“Prehistoric.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prehistoric. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

prehistoric

adjective
pre·​his·​tor·​ic ˌprē-(h)is-ˈtȯr-ik How to pronounce prehistoric (audio)
-ˈtär-
: of, relating to, or existing in times before written history
prehistoric animals
prehistorically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on prehistoric

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