primal
adjective
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Definition of primal
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Synonyms & Antonyms for primal
Synonyms
arch, big, capital, cardinal, central, chief, dominant, first, foremost, grand, great, greatest, highest, key, leading, main, master, overbearing, overriding, paramount, predominant, preeminent, premier, primary, principal, prior, sovereign (also sovran), supreme
Antonyms
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Examples of primal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The national fear of shark attacks got its start some 43 years ago with the release of the movie blockbuster that unleashed the primal fear of being eaten alive while swimming. — Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, "Sharks vs. humans: At 100 million deaths against 6 each year, it's not a fair fight," 11 July 2018 His expression was the same I’d seen on my brothers’ faces that day at the rancher’s fence, a mix of wonder, astonishment and primal fear. — Peter Gwin, WSJ, "The Horses That Changed History," 19 June 2018 The practice allows the parent and baby to bond on a very primal, physical level, Jessica A. Shepherd, an ob/gyn at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, tells SELF. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Why It’s So Important That Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Did Skin-to-Skin Contact With His New Daughter," 25 Apr. 2018 The sight of Ant-Man using a flatbed truck for a scooter tickles some primal nerve cluster in our brains. — Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ is a Marvel marvel," 4 July 2018 Similar characteristics are seen in cries of pain and anguish, the researchers say, suggesting that laughing is a more emotional and primal response that emerged early in human evolution. — Marcus Woo, Science | AAAS, "Can you tell a real laugh from a fake one?," 25 June 2018 Wielding a massive flamethrower can be satisfying in a truly primal way, and Wolfenstein II nails it. — Andrew Webster, The Verge, "Wolfenstein II on the Switch is the best way to kill Nazis on the go," 29 June 2018 In front of the wolf, which really is lurking around like an unsubtle metaphor at this point, June emits a primal scream that is an expression of all of her inward trauma. — refinery29.com, "The Handmaid's Tale Season 2, Episode 11 Recap: The Wolf Is A Metaphor," 27 June 2018 The small size of the fire keeps it manageable and protects the ground and dry grass from the flames while still filling that primal love of cooking with wood. — Joe Jackson, Outside Online, "8 Tips for (Responsibly) Camping in Fire Season," 22 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'primal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for primal
primal
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of primal
: very basic and powerful
See the full definition for primal in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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