prehistoric

adjective

pre·​his·​tor·​ic ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-ik 

-ˈstär-

variants or less commonly prehistorical

ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-i-kəl 

-ˈstär-

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: regarded as being outdated or outmoded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

ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-i-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈstär-

adverb

Synonyms of prehistoric

• archaic
• obsolete
• medieval
• antiquated
• neolithic

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 on the Web

The duo reintroduced new shapes and finishes for designs like Nok, which was designed by Turroni in 2023 and calls to mind the archeological treasures of the prehistoric era. —Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 22 Jan. 2026

Savvy ancestors As mammoths and elephants were rare in prehistoric England, the discovery highlights the advanced cognitive skills of early humans. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026

The prehistoric people who made the hand stencils were most likely early members of our own species, Homo sapiens, who lived in Southeast Asia during the ice age. —Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026

Cave paintings of prehistoric marine life -- dating back more than 30,000 years -- have also been found at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea off southern France. —CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for prehistoric

• anaphoric
• metaphoric
• meteoric
• paregoric
• pyrophoric
• boric
• chloric
• doric
• toric
• caloric
• dysphoric
• euphoric

Kids Definition

prehistoric

adjective

pre·​his·​tor·​ic ˌprē-(h)is-ˈtȯr-ik 

-ˈtär-

: of, relating to, or existing in times before written history

prehistoric animals

prehistorically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb