ancestral
adjective
an·ces·tral
an-ˈse-strəl 
: of, relating to, or inherited from an ancestor
ancestral estates
Examples of ancestral in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His mother answered, and the woman offered to examine her family tree to locate ancestral sources of misfortune.
—
E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Featuring Tz’utujil lyrics from Chavahaze, the song bridges linguistic and spiritual worlds, offering a rare glimpse into a living ancestral perspective.
—Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 24 Jan. 2026
The study included organizations from Oregon, California, and Wisconsin and took place on ancestral lands of the Yurok and Karuk Tribes.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
Brown was reading Weep Not, Child around then, the 1964 novel by Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, which tells the story of a Kikuyu family, whose ancestral land is stolen from them.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ancestral
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.
E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Featuring Tz’utujil lyrics from Chavahaze, the song bridges linguistic and spiritual worlds, offering a rare glimpse into a living ancestral perspective.
—Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 24 Jan. 2026
The study included organizations from Oregon, California, and Wisconsin and took place on ancestral lands of the Yurok and Karuk Tribes.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
Brown was reading Weep Not, Child around then, the 1964 novel by Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, which tells the story of a Kikuyu family, whose ancestral land is stolen from them.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ancestral
Cite this Entry
“Ancestral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ancestral. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ancestral
adjective
an·ces·tral
an-ˈses-trəl
: of, relating to, or developed from an ancestor
ancestral home
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
