1
as in grandfather
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent
Bridie's Irish ancestors immigrated to the United States in the 19th century during the Great Potato Famine
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in forerunner
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
pinball machines—the ancestors of today's video games—go back to the 19th century
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ancestor
For thousands of years, families in China have celebrated Qingming after the spring equinox, cleaning and decorating their ancestor’s graves and offering plates of sweet dumplings.
—
Rocío Muñoz-Ledo, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
His ancestors were the original owners of Nantucket island.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025
So this toast is for the ancestors, those brave souls who wouldn’t settle for what was handed to them.
—Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
No one today is a slave or a slave-owner, but California would treat its diverse residents as such based on the identity of their ancestors.
—Andrew Quinio, Oc Register, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Rocío Muñoz-Ledo, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
His ancestors were the original owners of Nantucket island.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025
So this toast is for the ancestors, those brave souls who wouldn’t settle for what was handed to them.
—Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
No one today is a slave or a slave-owner, but California would treat its diverse residents as such based on the identity of their ancestors.
—Andrew Quinio, Oc Register, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
Noun
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After their grandmother’s death in 1972 — followed soon after by their grandfather’s — Keith and Aileen became wards of the state.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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The brand’s Matisse Collection is uniquely sentimental and significant because the renowned artist was the great-grandfather of East Fork’s founder.—
Emily Farris,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Perfected by forerunners such as Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette, this fall has already seen two music stars gift us with lay-it-all-out-there lyrics.—
Dan Heching,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
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The Park cinema launched under the ownership of Cineplex Odeon Cinemas, a forerunner of Cineplex and today an operator of multiplexes and out of home destinations.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In a social media video, Madi said her father's health declined in the months following an early-stage prostate cancer diagnosis.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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The introduction was from my father, who was a friend of his in another lifetime.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The story revealed Lively had filed a precursor complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
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Trump said that Xi committed to cracking down on the production of fentanyl precursors as well in exchange for lowering tariffs on China.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Brazil’s President Lula da Silva Host nation Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, affectionately known as Lula, has used his second term as president to push ahead with climate action and slow the deforestation that grew to alarming rates under his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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The issue was reminiscent of a major flaw in the optics of Webb's predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, which was shown to be noticeably near-sighted after reaching orbit in 1990.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The Coupe prototype is a high-riding grand tourer with a long snout, doors that slide open rather than swing, and a fastback roofline – a classic high-line design characteristic.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
31 Oct. 2025
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As recent graduates from the University of California, Davis, he and co-founder Moby Ahmed had some initial lab data but not much in the way of substantial proof, let alone yarn samples or prototypes.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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