PRIMEVAL Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

primeval

adjective

prī-ˈmē-vəl

Definition of primeval

as in ancient

relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period primeval forests slowly disappearing as the climate changed

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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 primeval The fragrance that wafts from the dish when the lid is lifted heightens the anticipation, the nose being the first point of entry and the most primeval of our senses. — Literary Hub, 4 Feb. 2026 The landscape of Rapa Nui probably never incorporated the sort of primeval forest of palm trees imagined in popular accounts, Pitts writes, but was more mixed, and scrubbier, with no one species of charismatic megaflora dominating. — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026 Astrophysicists now believe that this nebulous stuff is a stellar incubator; the primeval chaos from which star formation is presently underway. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 16 Jan. 2026 Instead, the franchise has been retooled for this brutal and bleak moment, further weaponizing desperation at a time when competition already feels omnipresent and almost primeval. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for primeval

Recent Examples of Synonyms for primeval

Adjective

Researchers have found evidence that ancient humans chewed on betel nuts, a stimulant still widely used today.

— Devika Rao, TheWeek, 21 Sep. 2026
The discovery of the tooth, which belonged to an ancient Pacific mastodon, was announced by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) in San Mateo County, California.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of ancient

Adjective

But their primitive way of living reveals itself to rather more devastating effect when their third child is born, and Inger commits an act of unthinkable desperation.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
The feathers were partially adapted for diving, yet retained primitive, fuzzy down typical of non-avian dinosaurs.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of primitive

Adjective

The songs are a type of emotional exorcism, an expression of primal emotion that could not be shared in another way, with the rhythm of the film always framing them as a type of catharsis.

— Zachary Lee, IndieWire, 16 Sep. 2026
And the vindaloo sauce, ruddy and rustic, slowly unfolds with intellectual complexity before delivering a primal punch.

— Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of primal

Adjective

The cave had effectively served as a prehistoric rest and maintenance station.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
Robert Eagle, a co-author of the study and a geobiologist at University of California, Los Angeles, pioneered this approach to measuring prehistoric body temperatures.

— Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of prehistoric

Adjective

Planting fake dark matter signals There are several candidates for what dark matter could be, including primordial black holes or an undiscovered particle.

— Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
Dark stars are hypothetical primordial stars that, rather than producing energy through nuclear fusion, are instead powered by self-annihilating dark matter within their cores.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of primordial

Adjective

Venable hasn’t diverged from his early-season strategy of using his relievers early and often and employing openers on a semiregular basis.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
More expansive early voting is scheduled to begin in those and other states in the coming weeks.

— ALI SWENSON, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of early

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primes

primeval

priming

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“Primeval.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primeval. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of primeval

adjective

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