antediluvian

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adjective an·te·di·lu·vi·an \ ˌan-ti-də-ˈlü-vē-ən , -(ˌ)dī- \

Definition of antediluvian

1 :of or relating to the period before the flood described in the Bible

2 a :made, evolved, or developed a long time ago

an antediluvian automobile

that antediluvian relic known as a slide rule

b :extremely primitive or outmoded

an antediluvian prejudice

antediluvian in his politics

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antediluvian

noun

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Examples of antediluvian in a Sentence

He has antediluvian notions about the role of women in the workplace.
found evidence in the Middle East of an antediluvian people previously unknown to history

Recent Examples of antediluvian from the Web

Sessions also shares Trump’s xenophobic opposition to immigration and his antediluvian approach to criminal justice.

— frank rich, Daily Intelligencer, "Everything Trump Does Must Be Viewed Through This Single Lens," 27 July 2017
In addition, China’s antediluvian and fragmented grid system prioritizes power plants nearby urban centers, with normally far-flung solar and wind farms typically used just to top up.

— TIME.com, "The world’s largest floating solar farm," 18 July 2017
Although the Lot Radio lies within spitting distance of Williamsburg’s looming hotels and overflowing nightclubs, this makeshift hangout, which began as an internet radio station and coffee shop, conjures a charmingly antediluvian era.

— ben detrick, New York Times, "A Makeshift Bar on a Dusty Brooklyn Patch," 9 May 2017
But at least you weren’t sandbagged by some antediluvian notion of how family is supposed to work.

— john anderson, New York Times, "Films Like ‘The Boss Baby’ Can Be Painful for Adoptees and Foster Kids," 5 Apr. 2017
Some of the earliest restorations of dinosaurs and marine reptiles by the 19th century artist John Martin were apocalyptic spectacles of antediluvian combat where scavengers waited to pick at the remains of the losing contestant.

— brian switek, WIRED, "Toumai and the Sabercats," 20 Jan. 2011

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'antediluvian.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Before there was "antediluvian," there were the Latin words ante (meaning "before") and "diluvium" (meaning "flood"). As long ago as 1646, English speakers were using "antediluvian" to describe conditions they believed existed before the great flood described in the biblical account of Noah and the ark. By the early 1700s, the word had come to be used as both an adjective and a noun referring to anything or anyone prodigiously old. Charles Darwin used it to characterize the mighty "antediluvian trees" some prehistoric mammals might have used as a food source, and in his American Notes, Charles Dickens described an elderly lady who informed him, "It is an extremely proud and pleasant thing . . . to be an antediluvian."