primeval

adjective

prī-ˈmē-vəl How to pronounce primeval (audio)
Definition of primevalnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 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
  1. ancient
  2. primitive
  3. primal
  4. prehistoric
  5. primordial
  6. early
Adjective
  • This ancient city, sited halfway between London and Edinburgh, has a wealth of significant historic attractions dating back to its Ancient Roman origins.
    — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
  • During its two-and-a-half-hour descent through Titan’s thick orange atmosphere, Huygens captured the first-ever views of the surface, revealing river channels, ancient shorelines and a landscape shaped by liquid methane rather than water.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of ancient
Adjective
  • The Düsseldorf group’s version of LUCA would have possessed many of the ingredients needed by living systems, including a primitive form of genetic encoding, as well as metabolic chemical reactions required to harness energy.
    — Philip Ball, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026
  • If Russia behaved badly, that was the fault of its primitive and cruel Asian side, a notion that conveniently created the fiction that Western countries are not capable of similar cruelty.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of primitive
Adjective
  • The following tracks only get knottier and denser, but Sweeping Promises never stops setting primal immediacy against granular precision and letting the sparks fly.
    — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The children grew manic with glee, their lightsabres flailing, their patriotism sublimated into something more primal.
    — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of primal
Adjective
  • The Museum includes creative work from prehistoric cave paintings to today’s on-screen art.
    — Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • That means a stretch of riverbank can look completely ordinary one season and reveal evidence of prehistoric life after a major weather event or prolonged change in water levels.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of prehistoric
Adjective
  • The shapes that Heizer carved out of the earth seem both primordial and futuristic at the same time, evoking his fascination with Mesoamerican architecture.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Life on Earth is thought to have emerged from the primordial ooze some four billion years ago.
    — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of primordial
Adjective
  • The book discusses Andrew Carnegie, one of the wealthiest people of the late 19th and early 20th century.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Hansen’s sentence was first reduced to 25 years to life, and the state later created a pathway to earlier parole for many youthful offenders serving life sentences.
    — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of early

Browse Nearby Words

primes
primeval
priming
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Cite this Entry

“Primeval.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primeval. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of primeval for Spanish Speakers

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