as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period
all life on Earth supposedly came from a primordial ooze in existence many millions of years ago
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Recent Examples of primordial
In the labs, visitors are shown how scientists take red blood cells from a developing egg embryo – within the blood will be the primordial germ cells, which develop into egg and sperm in adult birds.
—
Mike Snider, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
One gets the sense of a man perpetually drawn to the edge of the unknown, as the boy to the edge of the sea—to questions about our primordial origins, about the etiology and eschatology of our planet, about what erodes and what endures.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
The galaxy also appears to have cleared its surrounding region of primordial hydrogen gas — an unexpected finding, the researchers say, given that the early universe was filled with neutral hydrogen.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Land is a primal word, primordial even, like lava.
—Tommy Orange, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for primordial
Mike Snider, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
One gets the sense of a man perpetually drawn to the edge of the unknown, as the boy to the edge of the sea—to questions about our primordial origins, about the etiology and eschatology of our planet, about what erodes and what endures.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
The galaxy also appears to have cleared its surrounding region of primordial hydrogen gas — an unexpected finding, the researchers say, given that the early universe was filled with neutral hydrogen.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Land is a primal word, primordial even, like lava.
—Tommy Orange, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for primordial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primordial
Adjective
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They are inspired by the stories of ancient cultures, captivated by the serenity of nature's wonders, and exhilarated by the excitement of encountering wildlife in their natural habitats.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026
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The Colosseum has a bright new look following a restoration using the same travertine marble of ancient Rome to recreate parts of columns from 2,000 years ago.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Take a boat to the primitive island of Palmarola, and swim near volcanic sea stacks.—
Kristina Kasparian,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Mar. 2026
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In November 1985, the company launched Windows, a graphical operating environment layered on top of its operating system MS-DOS, which is primitive by modern standards, but radical for its time.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Gaining rare access to vibrant young people brimming with energy and doubt, uncertain if tomorrow even exists, the filmmaker reveals how living fiercely in the moment becomes a primal defense.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 Mar. 2026
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My desire to catch this fish felt primal, written in my genes.—
Kim Cross,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This 50-square-mile crescent in the Pacific has the southernmost coral reef in the world and a wealth of wilderness walks that include everything from primeval banyan forests to endangered ground-dwelling birds.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Dec. 2025
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Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California Time slows to a primeval pace in the sequoia groves that make up Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, where arboreal giants have watched the seasons come and go for more than 2,000 years.—
Sarah L. Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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These stones suggest the dinosaur was an opportunistic omnivore, snacking on everything from prehistoric ferns to crunchy insects and small animals.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
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The island’s modern snake population includes more than 50 species, but none come close to the size of this prehistoric animal.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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While the upcoming week looks dry across Central Texas, there are signs of a wetter pattern developing toward the end of March and into early April.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
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The Athletic can also reveal FSG looked into buying a minority stake of less than 30 per cent in Monaco in early 2025 alongside another ownership group but, again, decided not to take it any further.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Primordial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primordial. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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