prehistoric

adjective pre·his·tor·ic \ ˌprē-(h)is-ˈtȯr-ik , -ˈtär- \

variants: or less commonly prehistorical play \-i-kəl\

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3 :regarded as being outdated or outmoded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 \-i-k(ə-)lē\ 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

An overview of warfare in Malta, from prehistoric times to the present.

— roy harris, chicagotribune.com, "Malta, the island nation just below Sicily, is an increasingly popular stopover," 28 Aug. 2017
Previously, he's worked with science and art teachers to help a group of middle school girls reconstruct a life-sized jaw from the prehistoric shark megaladon, based on CT scans of its teeth.

— ryan cross, Science | AAAS, "New 3D scanning campaign will reveal 20,000 animals in stunning detail," 24 Aug. 2017
Titled Jurassic World Evolution, Frontier’s creating a build-your-own-dinosaur-theme-park game that looks quite a bit like Planet Coaster crossed with prehistoric Zoo Tycoon.

— hayden dingman, PCWorld, "Jurassic World Evolution theme park sim revealed by Planet Coaster's developer," 21 Aug. 2017
Prehistoric family adventure T-Rex Cafe closed Saturday night in the Legends Outlets Kansas City in Kansas City, Kan. Steve Schussler, creator of the Rainforest Cafe, opened his first T-Rex in the new center in 2006.

— joyce smith, kansascity, "T-Rex Cafe closes, and other updates from the Legends Outlets in KCK," 13 Aug. 2017
Which means our immune systems would have no idea how to fight back when those prehistoric plagues emerge from the ice.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "It's No Exaggeration to Say Human Civilization Is at Stake," 10 July 2017
Which means our immune systems would have no idea how to fight back when those prehistoric plagues emerge from the ice.

— david wallace-wells, Daily Intelligencer, "When Will the Planet Be Too Hot For Humans? Much, Much Sooner Than You Imagine.," 9 July 2017
That’s true in the sense that a prehistoric fish might have gazed at the shore and declared its species was going all-land based.

— mark phelan, Detroit Free Press, "Volvo goes all-electric? Not so much," 6 July 2017
The Berkshire Downs where the horse lies are scattered with prehistoric remains.

— emily cleaver, Smithsonian, "Against All Odds, England’s Massive Chalk Horse Has Survived 3,000 Years," 6 July 2017

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

prehistoric Synonyms

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 Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for 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

From the M-W Editors

Examples of prehistoric in a Sentence

Recent Examples of prehistoric from the Web

First Known Use of prehistoric

prehistoric Synonyms

Synonyms

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Other Archaeology Terms

PREHISTORIC Defined for English Language Learners

prehistoric

Definition of prehistoric for English Language Learners

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prehistoric

Definition of prehistoric for Students

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