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 ancestors restless in the back of my mind would not let me.
—
Tanya Talaga
july 24, Literary Hub, 24 July 2025
Mitochondria—the organelles in our cells responsible for generating energy—are likely the product of an ancient symbiosis with a distant ancestor and a microbe, and have their own separate DNA.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 23 July 2025
But the ancestors of T. rex came from another place, across a land bridge that once connected eastern Asia and western North America.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 July 2025
That was how your ancestors lived for almost all of human history.
—John C. Goodman, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Tanya Talaga
july 24, Literary Hub, 24 July 2025
Mitochondria—the organelles in our cells responsible for generating energy—are likely the product of an ancient symbiosis with a distant ancestor and a microbe, and have their own separate DNA.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 23 July 2025
But the ancestors of T. rex came from another place, across a land bridge that once connected eastern Asia and western North America.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 July 2025
That was how your ancestors lived for almost all of human history.
—John C. Goodman, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
Noun
-
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
-
Previously Fefferman was a key player at Radius, the indie-film company co-founded by Tom Quinn that was a forerunner to his highly successful banner Neon.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Aug. 2025
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Lehrer was the forerunner of musical comedians like Weird Al Yankovic, Rachel Bloom, and the Lonely Island.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
28 July 2025
Noun
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As many fans were happy to see that the couple might be back together, her ex-boyfriend and father of her children, Tracy T, didn’t seem as elated.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
13 Aug. 2025
-
That August, while appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Zoë was asked about a TikTok of her father wearing leather pants and a mesh shirt as worked out at the gym.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The orientation meeting Monday was a precursor to the launch of The Faithful Accompaniment in Trust and Hope, or FAITH, a pilot program that will have religious leaders and volunteers present at San Diego’s immigration court to offer spiritual support, comfort and prayer to those who need it.—
Alexandra Mendoza,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
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The Florida court contrived a weird and arbitrary compromise, granting new sentencing hearings only to death row prisoners whose sentences were considered final after 2002, when the U.S. court issued a decision that was a precursor to Hurst’s.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
The Paper looks much more earnest and much less funny than its predecessor.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Newer spacecraft, such as the Starship Human Landing System, could be more vulnerable to ground movement than their Apollo predecessors, the new study suggests.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
4 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 20 Aug. 2025.
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