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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ancestor
The name Robinavitch comes from Wyle’s 19th-century Russian Jewish immigrant ancestors on his father’s side.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Apr. 2026
For the tribe, its main objective is to repatriate the remains of their ancestors — a process that often involves gathering the remains and artifacts and burying them together in a spot on the site that cannot be disturbed.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
The discovery suggests that complex animals — perhaps even ancestors of all vertebrates — were around millions of years earlier than once thought.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026
Countless thousands were displaced, tortured and killed, but what became of Gerson and Inlender’s ancestors?
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Apr. 2026
For the tribe, its main objective is to repatriate the remains of their ancestors — a process that often involves gathering the remains and artifacts and burying them together in a spot on the site that cannot be disturbed.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
The discovery suggests that complex animals — perhaps even ancestors of all vertebrates — were around millions of years earlier than once thought.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026
Countless thousands were displaced, tortured and killed, but what became of Gerson and Inlender’s ancestors?
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
Noun
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His grandfather’s war medals and flag are gone, too.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
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Abbott said that Kazan’s version — an adaptation of a book that her grandfather Elia Kazan mounted in 1955 — is told through that character’s eyes.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Williams had managed traditional Tex-Mex restaurants that were the forerunner of today’s Mercado Juarez Cafes.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
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The camp is a program of the Woodcraft Rangers, founded by author and naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton, whose pioneering Woodcraft Rangers program was a forerunner to groups such as the Boy Scouts.—
Jessie Dax-Setkus,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Some had Robert Carlson's signature, but many appeared to be signed by his father.—
Carol Thompson,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Set in the last year of World War II on the remote North Sea island of Amrum, the story is told from the point of view of 12-year-old Nanning (Jasper Billerbeck), whose zealot mother (Laura Tonke) is raising him as a good Nazi while his father fights in the war.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Eventually, a banner signifying the first NCAA women’s basketball title will be raised to the ceiling in Pauley Pavilion, where currently the only women’s basketball title banner is from the school’s 1978 AIAW championship, the precursor to the NCAA.—
Beth Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
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Iran also spied on Iraqi positions with rudimentary precursors to drones, an early use of one of the regime’s most effective weapons in its attempt to blockade the strait.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The film was intended to release in March 2024, just nine months after its predecessor's debut, but was indefinitely delayed during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Apr. 2026
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But a few years ago, Shapiro argued, Fox looked at the two paths moving forward and chose to take the one to the future as predecessor 21st Century Fox sold its studio and key cable networks to Walt Disney.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The company, founded in 2019, flew its first prototype, Quarterhorse Mk 1, in May 2025 during a short low-speed flight at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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Nearly 170 people at clinics in three states were shown a prototype over-the-counter package and drug facts label.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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