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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: 9 Jun 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3 : regarded as being outdated or outmoded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

  1. His attitudes about women are downright prehistoric.

  2. prehistoric notions about mental illness that have no place in today's world

Recent Examples of prehistoric from the Web

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year
NEW! Time Traveler

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  • : very old or outdated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

  1. 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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