1
as in grandfather
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent
Bridie's Irish ancestors immigrated to the United States in the 19th century during the Great Potato Famine
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in forerunner
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
pinball machines—the ancestors of today's video games—go back to the 19th century
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ancestor
This suggested that long ago, ancestors of these two groups hybridized.
—
Ari Daniel, NPR, 13 Aug. 2025
Under jus sanguinis, Polish citizenship can be handed down through your ancestors (including great-grandparents), but there are a few caveats.
—Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 10 Aug. 2025
Exactly how our early ancestors could have reached the islands to begin with remains unknown.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
As living primates are now faced with present-day environmental challenges, seeing how their ancestors adapted to ancient climate changes can help conservationists better understand species survival and identify threats.
—New Atlas, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Ari Daniel, NPR, 13 Aug. 2025
Under jus sanguinis, Polish citizenship can be handed down through your ancestors (including great-grandparents), but there are a few caveats.
—Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 10 Aug. 2025
Exactly how our early ancestors could have reached the islands to begin with remains unknown.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
As living primates are now faced with present-day environmental challenges, seeing how their ancestors adapted to ancient climate changes can help conservationists better understand species survival and identify threats.
—New Atlas, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
Noun
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The fiddle resting on his shoulder belonged to his great, great grandfather and dates to around 1900.—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Photos from Kaela Leone's TikTok video of her sister and grandfather meeting for her wedding.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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German missile designers launched their V2 rocket for the first time—the forerunner of the ICBM that would blitz the United Kingdom—and Berlin’s Luftwaffe dominated European skies.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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His band may be forerunners in this respect, but Allen recognizes that the attention is paying off for all of his Alabama contemporaries.—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
28 June 2025
Noun
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It’s covered with military patches — collected by a young Janice Paull — from soldiers coming through San Jose who stopped at the post office her father ran.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
13 Aug. 2025
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During the meeting, the group read from a page and a half of cases of immigrants detained this year, including a father suffering from leukemia in metro Detroit with three children who was arrested five days ago, Kovari said.—
Niraj Warikoo,
Freep.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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This may be a precursor to Apple introducing smart glasses.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
14 Aug. 2025
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These types of civil demands are typically a precursor to litigation, which Rokita has floated as a possibility.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Something his predecessors, Ashanti Hamilton, Arnitta Holliman, Reggie Moore, and Terry Perry, had to do as well since the office was founded in 2008.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
19 Aug. 2025
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What Tehran saw was continuity; Biden, like his predecessor, wanted regime change in Iran.—
Vali Nasr,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
And the first prototype is a character called Wendy.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Aug. 2025
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This North Haven location is the first physical expression of Edible’s reimagined retail vision, and will serve as the prototype for the brand’s next-generation store concept.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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