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: regarded as being outdated or outmoded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

• medieval
• archaic
• obsolete
• 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

Its image is painted on ancient Southwestern pottery and chiseled into prehistoric petroglyphs that line Texas canyons. —Hollace Ava Weiner, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2025

From the Elgol dinosaur to the Krusatodon or the world’s largest pterosaur fossil from the Jurassic period, fossils found here have shaped our understanding of the prehistoric world. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025

Earlier this year, a prehistoric village was also discovered near Inverness, Scotland, at the site of a future golf course. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025

The careful arrangement of ossuaries within the dolmen suggests communal burial practices and sophisticated ceremonial planning, providing archaeologists with invaluable insight into societal structures in prehistoric Iberia. —Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2025

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