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
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Recent Examples of primal
There’s something primal about the lights going down in a space, and there’s an audience and the performers on stage and the simplicity of telling a story.
—
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 4 June 2025
Landau went on to share how the urge to make things is primal and universal.
—Jeryl Brunner, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
The film tapped into humans' primal fear and became a social phenomenon in the U.S. and abroad, grossing over $470 million at the box office, adjusted for inflation.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 8 June 2025
The appeal is both primal and programmable: Humans like progress, hate loss, and will rearrange their lives to avoid breaking a streak.
—Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for primal
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 4 June 2025
Landau went on to share how the urge to make things is primal and universal.
—Jeryl Brunner, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
The film tapped into humans' primal fear and became a social phenomenon in the U.S. and abroad, grossing over $470 million at the box office, adjusted for inflation.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 8 June 2025
The appeal is both primal and programmable: Humans like progress, hate loss, and will rearrange their lives to avoid breaking a streak.
—Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for primal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primal
Adjective
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The three main changes House Republicans want to make are to ensure immigrants who are in the United States without legal authorization can’t enroll; create work requirements to be on the program; and prevent federal funding from being used for gender transition care.—
Danielle Battaglia,
Charlotte Observer,
24 June 2025
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Harper isn’t devoid of faults, with the two main ones being his defensive focus and inconsistent jump-shooting.—
Kambui Bomani,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
The implication is that African creativity has always been global; just before the wing’s entrance, a Baule mask used in theatrical performances shares a vitrine with an ancient Roman sculpture of Pan.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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Scientists can deduce historic oxygen levels by analyzing ancient rocks (like Banded Iron Formations) because their chemical composition depend on the amount of oxygen available when they were formed.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
-
Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.—
Joseph J. Kolb,
Fox News,
18 July 2017
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Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Adjective
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Disclosure data shows that more than a dozen lawyers and paralegals with the New York Legal Assistance Group made cash contributions to Mamdani’s campaign ahead of the primary election.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
29 June 2025
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The second floor has the primary suite, which is large and has a private balcony that overlooks the grounds.—
James Alexander,
Hartford Courant,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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As for the chthonic powers who might intrude upon us, the worst must be the Titans, primeval offspring of Gaia and Uranus, Earth and Sky.—
Lewis Hyde,
Harpers Magazine,
18 June 2025
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The limp is the primeval sign, in many cultural myth systems, of autochthony: humans born from the earth, parentless.—
Nicholas Dames,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That would mean the centrifugal force arising from a spinning universe becomes a force acting in all directions away from the universe's parent primordial white hole.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
21 June 2025
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Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia Australia is home to some of the most far-flung, primordial swaths of wilderness in the world, and on the coastline of Western Australia, almost 800 miles north of Perth, sits Sal Salis.—
Chloe Berge,
Outside Online,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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Rivera is especially excited by the National Music Theater Conference this year since truly original work is developed there in contrast to the predominant commercial theater trend of basing musicals closely on classic movies or novels.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
29 June 2025
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That is clearly what happened in this redistricting in Louisiana where race was the predominant factor used to draw congressional boundaries.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
Humans, therefore, are assumed to be inherently tribal because of our prehistoric ancestors.—
Dr. Rami Kaminski,
Time,
18 June 2025
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Set five years after Jurassic World: Dominion, the movie sees an expedition brave isolated equatorial regions to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures for a groundbreaking medical breakthrough.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Primal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primal. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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