ANCESTOR Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

ancestor

noun

ˈan-ˌse-stər

Definition of ancestor

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ancestor Construction on the pipeline could mean members of the community must make the decision between digging up their ancestors to preserve their graves or having the graves destroyed in the construction. — Madeline Luebkert, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026 Those with the funds to file a court case, essentially suing the Italian state for sexism against their female ancestors, are likely to win, but legal action is lengthy and costly. — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026 Therefore, this benefit must reach everyone, not only those whose ancestors match the reference sets from past decades. — William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 The house was converted into a hotel in 2018 by Tomás Álvarez Aja, a Mexican tech entrepreneur whose ancestors emigrated to the Americas from Asturias—a social class known locally as Indianos. — Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ancestor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor

Noun

Adela follows her grandfather’s footsteps while transforming his political and anthropological work into art, weaving a sound map from languages at risk of disappearing.

— Callum McLennan, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
The Beam family was at Raimondi Park sporting shirts with artwork of their beloved dad, husband, brother and grandfather.

— Andrea Nakano, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of grandfather

Noun

Margaret and Alice are the forerunners of Lucy and Ethel, and Shakespeare’s comedy, written expressly to entertain, gives us a sense of what an Elizabethan-era situation comedy might look like.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
One of the forerunners today in Madeira and the Azores is António Maçanita from Azores Wine Company.

— Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of forerunner

Noun

Born in Vienna to a Russian mother and Nigerian father, Ndukwe learned English at school from an early age and that has helped since moving to Merseyside.

— James Pearce, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
All of them are concerned with legacy, particularly among fathers and daughters (Shakespeare had two and lost his only son), and all of them touch a realm beyond the mundane — a place of gods and dreams, oracles and enchantment.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of father

Noun

But outside spending groups supporting Marshall and opposing Hamilton have already made major television ad buys this month — a precursor to what’s expected to be an expensive election cycle.

— Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 11 Aug. 2026
Less wealthy associations within and outside the confederation have relied heavily on FIFA funds via Infantino’s FIFA Forward program, the precursor to FFE, which was introduced by him in 2016.

— Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of precursor

Noun

Xi made the comments at a landmark speech marking the centenary of the birth of one of his predecessors – Jiang Zemin, who was China’s leader from 1993 to 2002.

— Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
Minter plays it safe For all the questions about how Minter’s first training camp has differed from John Harbaugh’s, the first-year head coach handled the first preseason game much like his predecessor — with extreme caution.

— Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of predecessor

Noun

If a major manufacturer takes what these students have learned and turns it into something that can be built at scale, the impact could reach far beyond this prototype.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Developed by Cleora with 3D-printing contractor True North and technology provider RIC Robotics, the project aims to demonstrate that robotic construction can move beyond prototypes and support entire neighborhoods.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of prototype

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anatomy

ancestor

ancestors

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“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of ancestor

noun

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