prehistoric

adjective

pre·his·tor·ic | \ ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-ik

, -ˈstär-\

variants: or less commonly prehistorical \ ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-i-kəl

, -ˈstär- \

Definition of prehistoric

1 : of, relating to, or existing in times antedating written history

2 : of or relating to a language in a period of its development from which contemporary records of its sounds and forms have not been preserved

3 : regarded as being outdated or outmoded prehistoric attitudes

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Examples of prehistoric in a Sentence

His attitudes about women are downright prehistoric. prehistoric notions about mental illness that have no place in today's world

Recent Examples on the Web

The Stark house symbol and loyal companions to the six Stark children, are based on the now-extinct dire wolves of the prehistoric era, but fans are looking to large dog breeds for their similar appearances as pets. — Sara Rodrigues, House Beautiful, "Game Of Thrones Wants You To Stop Buying "Direwolf" Dog Breeds," 16 Apr. 2019 This giant prehistoric shark grew up to 60 feet long with teeth as long as your forearm and a bite force of 25,000 to 40,000 lbf (pounds of force). — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "Exploding Stars Might Have Brought an End to the Prehistoric Megalodon," 14 Dec. 2018 Hundreds of caves are carved out of an otherworldly landscape of undulating mountain ranges and isolated karst towers that feels so prehistoric you half expect pterodactyls to come swooping through. Exploring Tu Lan Cave. — Patrick Scott, WSJ, "A Blow-Your-Mind Adventure in Vietnam’s Caves," 13 Nov. 2018 What scientists were able to find showed the dual histories of the skull—not just its history in prehistoric oceans but as an object of interest in the 1950s before modern technology had evolved to its current point. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "How Modern Tech Solved the Mystery Behind This Ancient Reptile's Skull," 9 Jan. 2019 Fishermen Foragers Home to scores of prehistoric settlement sites, this nearly 100-mile stretch of river is known as the Iron Gates region, named after two dams built decades ago. — Mark Barna, Discover Magazine, "When Farmers and Foragers First Met," 24 Oct. 2018 Welcome to the world of Outlander, in which a certain subset of the population can travel through time with the help of specific prehistoric monuments. — Julie Kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Caitriona Balfe Is Evolving with Outlander," 31 Dec. 2018 That followed the suspension around Maximo’s body of a flock of pterosaur models — flying prehistoric reptiles — on guy lines, birds on a wire. — Steve Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "With a skeleton and megaplanters, the Field Museum fleshes out its main hall," 26 June 2018 People around the world honor the occasion in a variety of ways, and celebration traditions date back to prehistoric times. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "Winter Solstice 2018: Who Celebrates the First Day of Winter?," 20 Dec. 2018

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