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3 : regarded as being outdated or outmoded prehistoric attitudes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 of prehistoric from the Web
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Trump’s presidency, like the lives of prehistoric men, could be nasty, brutish, but also short.
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The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven features prehistoric skeletons from the museum's world-renowned paleontology collection and a Discovery Room, where visitors can touch a 100-million-year-old fossil and walk on dinosaur tracks.
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This is a rite of passage — quite literally — required to see the fascinating prehistoric images at La Trinidad, named for the three-peaked mountain above the canyon.
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Rumors of prehistoric activity in the area had swirled among experts, who referenced an archaeological dig that reportedly took place during the 1960s and '70s.
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Set at the dawn of time, when prehistoric creatures roamed the Earth,
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Discovering her own faint and distant connection to Neanderthals gave Ms. Cameron the confidence to write the novel, despite her worries that her prehistoric protagonist would come across as outlandishly campy.
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Hatred is part of what has bound us to our prehistoric ancestors.
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In the 1980s, Bedford College marine geologist Alec Smith suggested that powerful, prehistoric waterfalls dug those enormous holes, but at the time, scientists lacked the data to determine whether this idea was true.
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 Defined for English Language Learners
prehistoric
playDefinition of prehistoric for English Language Learners
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: of, relating to, or existing in the time before people could write
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: very old or outdated
PREHISTORIC Defined for Kids
prehistoric
playDefinition of prehistoric for Students
: relating to or existing in the time before written history began prehistoric animals
Learn More about prehistoric
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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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