antediluvian 1 of 2

adjective

ˌan-ti-də-ˈlü-vē-ən How to pronounce antediluvian (audio)
Definition of antediluviannext
as in ancient
dating or surviving from the distant past found evidence in the Middle East of an antediluvian people previously unknown to history

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

antediluvian

2 of 2

noun

as in conservative
a person with old-fashioned ideas thought his dad was an antediluvian for refusing to use any social media

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 antediluvian
Adjective
This antediluvian town knows — and that, too, is part of its multimillion-dollar charm — that in a world of rapidly upgrading software and all-subsuming artificial intelligence, natural wisdom must be nurtured and celebrated. — Kalpana Mohan, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025 Not a bad start, definitely auspicious, which makes the antediluvian inspirations behind these sparkling party dresses all the more mysterious. — Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025 Image Still, Professor Bogdanor said, the antediluvian nature of the Lords eroded faith in government generally, particularly among young people. — Mark Landler, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024 Eliminating antediluvian student loan debts held by vulnerable older adults seems both just and good public policy. — Next Avenue, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for antediluvian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antediluvian
  1. ancient
  2. conservative
  3. venerable
  4. fossil
  5. medieval
  6. fogy
  7. old
  8. veteran
Adjective
  • Even the climbing-vine wallpaper is yellowed, as if gradually discolored by the cigarettes of a thousand ancient Sundays.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Madrid sits on an ancient migration route that has always been part of a vast grid of farming paths covering the Iberian Peninsula.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of ancient
Noun
  • There was a time when conservatives were opposed to increasing the debt.
    — Kevin Igoe, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • President Emmanuel Macron has been the primary target of scorn following nationwide riots that overtook Paris and other cities, but the insurgent National Rally does not want to let mainstream conservatives off the hook.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of conservative
Adjective
  • Executive produced by Flanagan and King, Carrie is the second Prime Video series based on MGM/UA IP to launch after Amazon MGM Studios had made exploiting the venerable studio’s library a priority following the 2022 acquisition.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
  • There’s Haroon Mirza’s Stone Circle, commissioned by Ballroom Marfa, another venerable local institution.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of venerable
Noun
  • To do this, the team of researchers used fossils and knowledge of mosasaurs' most recent living relatives – snakes and lizards like the komodo dragon – to recreate the hunting behavior of mosasaurs.
    — October 16, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The discovery provides a detailed view into how the dinosaur’s body responded to injury before its death and demonstrates how neutron imaging can reveal soft tissues that are rarely preserved in fossils.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of fossil
Adjective
  • The territories at various times have been part of the Russian and Ottoman empires, medieval Kievan Rus’ and earlier civilizations.
    — Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The time period is vaguely medieval and the accents British, save for Skarsgård, who speaks in a flat, neutral exhale, the sound of breeze riffling through straw.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of medieval
Noun
  • There’s no old fogey-ness to Lorne.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2026
  • For the benefit of us old fogies?
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
Definition of fogy
Adjective
  • An album-length EP by the 20-year-old producer is a dizzying and boundless collage of collages, using free-jazz logic and digital overload to chart new emotional terrain.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Rodrigo Valentim, a 51-year-old businessman and supporter of Bolsonaro, said another Lula government would harm the economy.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of old
Noun
  • For wellness-minded readers, veterans and the parents of young athletes, how testosterone works has become more than a locker-room topic.
    — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Reaves would be at least the 235th military veteran executed nationwide in the modern era and the 14th veteran executed under DeSantis.
    — Gretchen Reynolds, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of veteran

Browse Nearby Words

antedating
antediluvian
antediluvians
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Antediluvian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antediluvian. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of disparate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All