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
According to Dakota tradition, Bdote is the place where their earliest ancestors were created by the deity Wakan Tanka.
—
Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
These creatures eventually gave rise to the ancestors of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
The point is to have enough free-ranging bison to provide tribal members with the hunts, the food, and the presence that connect them to their ancestors.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026
Intelligent, tool-using species — including our direct ancestors — have been around for millions of years.
—Big Think, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
These creatures eventually gave rise to the ancestors of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
The point is to have enough free-ranging bison to provide tribal members with the hunts, the food, and the presence that connect them to their ancestors.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026
Intelligent, tool-using species — including our direct ancestors — have been around for millions of years.
—Big Think, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
Noun
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Born to a mom of Filipino descent and a father of Creole heritage, Arkapaw talked about her family's history and how her grandfather, Guillermo Pagan Bautista, was also a storyteller in his own right.—
Angeline Jane Bernabe,
ABC News,
5 Mar. 2026
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Boni’s is named for Maher’s great-grandfather, Bonaficio, a native of Spain who eventually settled in New Jersey, and the cocktail and bar snacks menus take their cues from the southwestern European country where Maher studied abroad in college.—
Matthew Odam,
Austin American Statesman,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Captain America was introduced in December 1940 by Timely Comics, the forerunner of Marvel.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Feb. 2026
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And these projects may just be the forerunners.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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An Israeli intelligence assessment, meanwhile, found Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, was wounded at the start of the war -- on the day when his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in an Israeli airstrike.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
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In Chicago, Martinez’s father picked up minimum-wage jobs.—
Ruby Cramer,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That means Coogler’s candidacy for best director is real, despite Anderson’s sweep of precursor awards.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
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Longmore noted that some of the complex molecules are thought to be precursors to amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.—
Asuka Koda,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The president noted that past military conflicts have dogged his predecessors, mentioning former President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and Jimmy Carter’s handling of the Iran hostage crisis.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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Of all the new Apple phones, the standard iPhone 17 is the most like its immediate predecessor, the $699 iPhone 16, in appearance.—
Eric Zeman,
PC Magazine,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Under the collaboration framework, prototype trials have been completed, while production-prototype testing has also been successfully finalized.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Mar. 2026
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OpenClaw's earliest prototype was a project called Clawd released last November by Austrian programmer Peter Steinberger.—
,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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