ANCESTOR Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

ancestor

noun

ˈan-ˌse-stər

Definition of ancestor

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 ancestor This thought, coupled with my ancestor’s life, drew together the threads for my novel, Foreigners. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 This nomadic worldview, known as Tengrism, remains deeply embedded in Kazakh culture through traditions like zheti ata (the practice of knowing seven generations of ancestors) and Nauryz, a Spring equinox celebration of resilience over winter. — Yulia Denisyuk, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Oct. 2026 The changes would have affected the environments in which life developed and evolved, from the age of the dinosaurs through to some of our oldest primate ancestors. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026 In his view, Flagg Mountain’s fire-scarred stumps corroborate what his community already knew—that their ancestors used fire for centuries—and reinforce their sense of responsibility to care for the land. — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ancestor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor

Noun

Shiloh is now walking through the halls where her grandfather was a teacher, her aunt was a counselor and four of her five siblings went to school.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
His grandfather was English, and much of the shoot involved being at a different moor or castle with wild horses galloping around every other week, Nordrum says.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of grandfather

Noun

Rather than try to replicate his forerunners’ styles of success, Ternus has so far played to his own strengths—which are also those of Apple, a company that first and foremost builds beautiful products that spark productivity, creativity, and joy.

— Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Dubbed the ‘American Turtle’ for its appearance, the submarine made three attempts to blow up British ships without success, but is considered the forerunner of modern submarines.

— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of forerunner

Noun

Cassegrain is the company’s third-ever CEO, following his father and grandfather.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026
Born in Los Angeles in 1954 to parents who hailed from Chicago, his father, Warren, founded a tape duplication service and later served as vice president of sales at Sussex Records, which produced acts like R&B crooner Bill Withers.

— Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of father

Noun

The three have also introduced tax plans that could be precursors to 2028 platforms.

— Jared Ochacher, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Perhaps the clearest precursor to the complicated racial dynamics of deepfake memes is what happened on TikTok at the turn of the decade.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of precursor

Noun

The latest unit retains the same first six forward ratios as the outgoing Carrera T’s manual transmission, but ditches its predecessor’s somewhat awkward and largely superfluous seventh gear.

— Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
Bass, for instance, oversaw the reappointment of McDonnell’s predecessor, Michel Moore, shortly after her election and stood by him for a year before Moore’s abrupt resignation in early 2024.

— Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of predecessor

Noun

The airborne spectacle was a prototype demonstration, not a test of a production-ready vehicle.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
The concept of flying cars has been around almost as long as motor vehicles themselves, with American aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss debuting the first flying car prototype in 1917.

— CBS News, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of prototype

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anatomy

ancestor

ancestors

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“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ancestor

noun

Example Sentences

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