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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ancestor
To decorate the feet in designer duds, to emphasize their strangeness, their alien qualities that tie us to our distant ape ancestors, with expensive materials and odd shapes, is to walk fashion forward with Darwinian chic.
—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
26 June 2026
Wood has also been asked to complete the repatriation of all tribal ancestors and cultural items as required by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 and the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 2001.
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Tarini Mehta,
Sacbee.com,
26 June 2026
Goodhouse recalled stories his grandfather would tell him of their ancestors who were in the Hunkpapa camp when troops attacked.
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ABC News,
25 June 2026
These findings suggest that throughout great ape evolution, our ancestors gradually developed more control over the timing of their vocalizations, including laughter.
—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
25 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
26 June 2026
Wood has also been asked to complete the repatriation of all tribal ancestors and cultural items as required by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 and the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 2001.
—
Tarini Mehta,
Sacbee.com,
26 June 2026
Goodhouse recalled stories his grandfather would tell him of their ancestors who were in the Hunkpapa camp when troops attacked.
—
ABC News,
25 June 2026
These findings suggest that throughout great ape evolution, our ancestors gradually developed more control over the timing of their vocalizations, including laughter.
—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
25 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
Noun
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Goodhouse recalled stories his grandfather would tell him of their ancestors who were in the Hunkpapa camp when troops attacked.
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For Rohrman, whose family business made its name in the Chicago area with his late grandfather’s low–budget TV commercials, listing his autos on Amazon may be the sales pitch of the future.
Noun
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The group, which includes Chrysler, Fiat, Peugeot and Citroen, is becoming a forerunner in the promising progress of a new type of vehicle battery.
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In 2007, the Oatley family opened Qualia, their 30-acre flagship property and the forerunner of Australia’s luxury lodges.
Noun
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The news of the arrest caught the attention of the family of Amy McHale, a woman who was once married to Horsch’s father and disappeared nearly 10 years ago.
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Her oldest sister, Sonia Gonzalez, said Gonzalez reminds her a lot of their father, who reinvented himself many times over the years.
Noun
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Sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean have topped daily warm records for more than 20 days in June, a precursor to what many scientists expect to be one of the strongest El Niño events on record.
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Today, financial independence is often about knowledge—and career opportunity—as a precursor to power.
Noun
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The film, based on Thomas Perry’s novel Strip, wears its influences — ranging from Elmore Leonard to Carl Hiaasen to Quentin Tarantino — heavily, without the genuine wit of many of its predecessors.
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During more than 50 years as a member of the EU and its predecessors, many British businesses also came to rely on Europe as a source of cheap labor, especially after the bloc’s eastward expansion in 2004.
Noun
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Future projects will also depend on successful prototype testing, regulatory approvals, construction milestones, and definitive customer agreements before any revenue-generating power plants come online.
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Musk has sought for more than a decade to get the public comfortable with SpaceX’s approach to rocket development, which emphasizes testing cheap prototypes in flight and embracing the occasional mishap rather than trying to guarantee perfection.
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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