Synonyms of primeval

primeval

adjective

prī-ˈmē-vəl 

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

• ancient
• primitive
• primal
• prehistoric
• primordial
• early
• embryonic
• old
• infant
• antediluvian
• hoary
• antiquated
• germinal
• budding
• antique
• obsolete
• age-old
• outmoded
• aged
• out-of-date
• passé
• dateless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• late
• higher
• complex
• high
• evolved
• advanced
• developed
• full-scale
• full-blown
• full-fledged

Example Sentences

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

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