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: 4 Aug 2018

Examples: prehistoric in a Sentence

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3 : regarded as being outdated or outmoded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

While planning for the dinosaurs' arrival, Huber had to consider different growing environments within the exhibit including spots in shade and direct sun as well as the size of the prehistoric animals.

— meg jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee zoo's dinosaur exhibit comes alive with flowers, plants and one avocado tree," 6 June 2018
Historic England, another public body, has dispatched aerial reconnaissance teams from bases in York and Swindon to scour the country for Roman villas and prehistoric forts.

— The Economist, "Dry weather is helping archaeologists discover ancient sites," 12 July 2018
Mesner Puppet Theater reaches into the past using hand, rod, shadow, and body puppets to bring this prehistoric tale to life.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Windham Edition," 10 July 2018
Amesbury is located around five miles from Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument visited by more than a million people annually.

— francis whittaker /, NBC News, "New incident near scene of Sergei Skripal attack leaves 2 critically ill," 4 July 2018
One of the most magical spots is the Bois de la Chaise, a fragrant pine wood dotted with boulders and even a menhir, a standing stone erected in prehistoric times.

— mary winston nicklin, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Small Island Where the Tour de France Begins Is Actually a Vacationer's Paradise," 3 July 2018
Since the 1980s, when experimental archaeology came into fashion, archaeologists started international competitions using prehistoric weaponry.

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "Archaeologists armed with spears demonstrate how Neanderthals hunted," 28 June 2018
That’s so old school it might as well be prehistoric school.

— paul sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "An old friend remembers Cubs clubhouse legend Yosh Kawano," 27 June 2018
In a scene reminiscent of two gigantic TV wrestlers grappling for holds, the prehistoric beasts grunt, puff and ham it up for all the world like Gorgeous George and Man Mountain Dean.

— thr staff, The Hollywood Reporter, "'King Kong vs. Godzilla': THR's 1963 Review," 26 June 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

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

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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prehistoric

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prehistoric

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