prehistoric

adjective

pre·​his·​tor·​ic ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-ik 

-ˈstär-

variants or less commonly prehistorical

ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-i-kəl 

-ˈstär-

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: regarded as being outdated or outmoded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

prehistorically

ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-i-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈstär-

adverb

Synonyms of prehistoric

• archaic
• obsolete
• medieval
• antiquated
• neolithic

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

Dating back more than 66 million years to the late Cretaceous period, Trey offers a window into prehistoric life. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 2 Mar. 2026

Modern threats and conservation Despite its prehistoric resilience, the Old Irish goat now faces a serious modern threat. —Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 27 Feb. 2026

The team found that both prehistoric and medieval Irish goats were the most genetically similar to the still-surviving old Irish Goat. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 26 Feb. 2026

The fascinating, prehistoric-looking creatures can only be found in Bitter Guana Cay in the Exumas, a chain of 365 islands and cays that’s part of the larger nation of the Bahamas. —Madeline Weinfield, Travel + Leisure, 26 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for prehistoric

• anaphoric
• metaphoric
• meteoric
• paregoric
• pyrophoric
• boric
• chloric
• doric
• toric
• caloric
• dysphoric
• euphoric

Kids Definition

prehistoric

adjective

pre·​his·​tor·​ic ˌprē-(h)is-ˈtȯr-ik 

-ˈtär-

: of, relating to, or existing in times before written history

prehistoric animals

prehistorically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb