preindustrial

adjective

pre·​in·​dus·​tri·​al ˌprē-in-ˈdə-strē-əl 

variants or pre-industrial

1

: not having developed or adopted industry : not industrialized

preindustrial agrarian societies

preindustrial civilization

2

: occurring, existing, or originating before the development or adoption of industry

in preindustrial times

preindustrial levels of carbon dioxide

preindustrial artifacts

still made using preindustrial methods

also : resembling that of preindustrial times

a return to a preindustrial way of life

Examples of preindustrial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Methane, the main component of natural gas, is a climate superpollutant, responsible for one-third of the rise in global temperatures since preindustrial times, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. —Alex Cuadros, ProPublica, 1 Apr. 2026

The relatively stagnant population and the preponderance of people living and working in subsistence agriculture meant that the desperately poor preindustrial world was also one of relative economic equality between societies. —Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026

Last year’s global average temperature was the third warmest since the preindustrial era, according to new data released Tuesday by scientists at Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. —Harry Stevens, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026

Temperature increase is measured relative to preindustrial average. —Evan Bush, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for preindustrial

• nonindustrial
• postindustrial
• industrial