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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Recent Examples of primeval
There was another side to connect with, a rough, primeval, earthly energy.
—
Literary Hub, 3 Dec. 2025
The primeval lizards also harbor over 50 strains of bacteria in their mouths and their venomous saliva contains an anticoagulant and toxins that induce blood loss, shock, and paralysis in its victim.
—Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 12 Nov. 2025
Sez Me … Since the first football player — all hairy and slumped over and naked — climbed out of the primeval swamp and tried to block an animal that hasn’t been seen since that giant asteroid smashed into Earth, it‘s been obvious.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
Filled with unearthly landscapes, primeval forests, and twilight beaches, Anemone’s ornate visual design seems to underscore its characters’ emotional suffocation.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primeval
Literary Hub, 3 Dec. 2025
The primeval lizards also harbor over 50 strains of bacteria in their mouths and their venomous saliva contains an anticoagulant and toxins that induce blood loss, shock, and paralysis in its victim.
—Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 12 Nov. 2025
Sez Me … Since the first football player — all hairy and slumped over and naked — climbed out of the primeval swamp and tried to block an animal that hasn’t been seen since that giant asteroid smashed into Earth, it‘s been obvious.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
Filled with unearthly landscapes, primeval forests, and twilight beaches, Anemone’s ornate visual design seems to underscore its characters’ emotional suffocation.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primeval
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primeval
Adjective
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Clouds is the first luxury retreat for visitors to this national park—a more ancient and biodiverse ecosystem than the Virunga Mountains, inhabited by Rwanda and Congo’s gorilla population.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
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Images of the shelter slipped the Russian choke hold to appear on the world’s screens—intact and unbowed amid the rubble, like a temple time-transported from some more ancient siege, the faces of those within drained but resolute.—
James Verini,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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Analysts note Iran was able to penetrate US air defenses in the Persian Gulf with relatively primitive technology, including low-cost Shahed drones and lower-cost ballistic missiles.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
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Hannes’s roommate, Gundula (Marlene Burow), uses a primitive nineteen-seventies version of Tony’s 2020 technology to study and decode the behavior of her potted geranium.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Mitsuye’s panic flipped into something more primal, more mom-like.—
Andre Mouchard,
Daily News,
9 May 2026
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There’s a physically primal element that feels new to Hathaway here, and not just in the film’s early convulsive silent dance sequence.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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An unusual tooth found in a cave offers a rare glimpse into a surprising procedure prehistoric humans might have performed to fix a cavity 59,000 years ago.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
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In September 2023, UNESCO added Tell es-Sultan—a prehistoric site in Jericho—to its World Heritage List, drawing criticism from some far-right Israeli politicians and organizations.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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Such stars are the key quarry that JWST was designed for—stellar orbs composed of the pristine, primordial hydrogen and helium gas that was summoned into being by the big bang.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
13 May 2026
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This invisible scaffolding, the researchers speculate, is what allowed the galaxy to form in the first place, with dark matter’s gravity pulling in the primordial gas needed to form the first stars.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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That makes this early matchup, coming off the bye, against the Chargers at Arrowhead so vital.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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The top of the order executed to perfection to give the Chargers the early lead Thursday.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Primeval.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primeval. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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