1
as in main
coming before all others in importance
the primal theme of the essay is toleration of religious diversity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period
there was a period of primal idealism after the founding of the republic and before the rise of partisan politics
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 primal
Narrating audiobooks today is the closest thing to that primal art form.
—
Adam Verner
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
This primal urge is deeply ingrained in our species, which spent 95% of its history as hunter-gatherers, relying on cooperation for survival.
—Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
In the deciding tiebreak, having frittered away an earlier chance to serve out the match, Vavassori cranked serves and crushed overheads with primal grunts.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Both involve profound sensations and potentially life-changing events; both reveal personality at its most feral and primal.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primal
Adam Verner
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
This primal urge is deeply ingrained in our species, which spent 95% of its history as hunter-gatherers, relying on cooperation for survival.
—Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
In the deciding tiebreak, having frittered away an earlier chance to serve out the match, Vavassori cranked serves and crushed overheads with primal grunts.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Both involve profound sensations and potentially life-changing events; both reveal personality at its most feral and primal.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primal
Adjective
-
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), which has organized dozens of boats to sail to Gaza carrying humanitarian aid, said that one of its main vessels was targeted in a drone strike just after midnight local time on Tuesday while docked near the Tunisian capital.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Tribhuvan International Airport, the country's main international airport, was also shut down due to smoke in the area.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Klein now had most of the funds needed to save a unique stand of ancient forest.—
David Gelles,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
-
One would hope the Chicken Man, friend of ancient chickens, would eat less chicken, after all.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Due to an accidental feature of this primitive technology, the color of television made in the middle nineteen sixties is essentially public, rather than private.—
Scott Stossel,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Campsites are a step above primitive, with nearby water, pit toilets, picnic tables and food lock-up boxes provided.—
Don Sproul,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Last week, Reuters reported that Pulte’s own father and stepmother had declared two homes in two different states as their primary residence, prompting a town in Michigan to remove a tax exemption for their home there and charge the couple for back taxes.—
Chris Prentice,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
-
But today, technology was not his primary concern.—
Elie Ofek,
Harvard Business Review,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The wilder West, meanwhile, is marked by vast, primeval cliffs that drop into an unforgiving ocean.—
Zoë Dare Hall,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
-
Suddenly, 43 seconds later, the sky cracked open and light came screaming out in a primeval flash of energy.—
David Perlmutt,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Stellar mass black holes are considered to be electrically neutral, and until now, primordial black holes were theorized to be the same.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Cosmologists now argue the universe’s primordial magnetic fields were astonishingly weak, comparable to the brain’s tiny signals, yet still thread today’s cosmic web.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Advertisement Lee grew up near Manchester’s Christ Church of the Church of England, but struggled to understand their beliefs, never fitting in with the predominant religion.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Should contempt become the predominant way that two partners communicate with one another, one or both will eventually reach a breaking point.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Research conducted at Zvejnieki has often challenged longheld assumptions about gender roles in prehistoric Europe.—
Sarah Durn,
Popular Science,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Towering over its modern relatives, this prehistoric predator was not only the largest species of lion ever recorded, but also one of the top apex predators of the Ice Age.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Primal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primal. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share