prehistoric

adjective pre·his·tor·ic \ ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-ik , -ˈstär- \

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

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

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3 : regarded as being outdated or outmoded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

—

prehistorically

play \ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-i-k(ə-)lē, -ˈstär-\ adverb

See prehistoric defined for English-language learners

See prehistoric defined for kids

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 of prehistoric from the Web

Dinosaur State Park and Arboretum, 400 West St. in Rocky Hill, has early Jurassic fossil tracks made 200 million years ago, as well as prehistoric dioramas and fossils.

— susan dunne, courant.com, "'Jurassic Giants' Invade Mystic Aquarium For Rest Of 2018," 6 Apr. 2018
Boys dig up prehistoric mastodon fossil in Mississippi.

— Fox News, "FOX NEWS FIRST: Trump mulls sending National Guard to U.S.-Mexico border; Suspected shooter had feud with YouTube," 4 Apr. 2018
Rare prehistoric dinosaur footprints are helping researchers piece together how the creatures lived during the middle Jurassic period.

— christina kline, CNN, "Quickly catch up on the day's news," 3 Apr. 2018
All over the world, our prehistoric ancestors made homes from mud, adobe, cob and similar materials, building up their walls one layer after another.

— christopher mims, WSJ, "3-D Printed Buildings Are a Tech Twist on Ancient Construction Techniques," 1 Apr. 2018
Also, ochre known for its use in prehistoric cave paintings, and it might also have helped fuel early brain development and our species' around the globe.

— Discover Magazine, "Table of Contents April 2018," 23 Mar. 2018
Archaeologists have been unearthing the bones of prehistoric mammals and recently uncovered a whole new treasure trove of fossils.

— CBS News, "Subway construction unearths treasure trove of fossils from Los Angeles' prehistoric past," 22 Mar. 2018
They were used by our prehistoric ancestors and unearthed in places such as France, Egypt and South Africa — and, the exhibition contends, they can be considered the first sculptures ever made.

— erin blakemore, Washington Post, "‘First Sculpture’ views prehistoric tools as early examples of art," 10 Mar. 2018
Bagpipes are Scottish and the prehistoric stone monument is in England.

— zlati meyer, USA TODAY, "McDonald's brings back the Shamrock Shake -- but not the chocolate ones," 21 Feb. 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.

First Known Use of prehistoric

1832

Other Archaeology Terms

Attic, Byzantine, Paleolithic, cairn, core, flint, horizon, neolithic, shard, stratum

PREHISTORIC Defined for English Language Learners

prehistoric

adjective

Definition of prehistoric for English Language Learners

: of, relating to, or existing in the time before people could write
: very old or outdated

PREHISTORIC Defined for Kids

prehistoric

adjective pre·his·tor·ic \ ˌprē-hi-ˈstȯr-ik \

Definition of prehistoric for Students

: relating to or existing in the time before written history began

prehistoric animals

Learn More about prehistoric

See words that rhyme with prehistoric Spanish Central: Translation of prehistoric Nglish: Translation of prehistoric for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of prehistoric for Arabic speakers

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prehistoric

Definition of prehistoric

prehistorically

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First Known Use of prehistoric

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prehistoric

Definition of prehistoric for English Language Learners

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prehistoric

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prehistorically

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