Synonyms of ancestor

ancestor

noun

ˈan-ˌse-stər 

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

• grandfather
• father
• grandmother
• progenitor
• forefather
• forebear
• ancestry
• forebearer
• primogenitor
• predecessor
• ancestress
• patriarch
• matriarch
• antecessor
• foremother
• grandsire
• antecedents
• sire
• roots

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• descendant
• family
• children
• lineage
• offspring
• seed
• progeny
• stock
• issue
• son
• daughter
• posterity
• successor
• heir
• inheritor
• scion

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• forerunner
• precursor
• predecessor
• prototype
• original
• antecedent
• daddy
• archetype
• granddaddy
• originator
• mother
• model
• foregoer
• father
• sire

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• descendant
• son
• derivative
• daughter
• offshoot
• outgrowth
• by-product
• spin-off

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ancestor

For millennia, upward of 5,000 ancestors living in the basin, many trekking to higher elevation to gather food in the summertime. — Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

In between Amos’s lines, In Times of Dragons is a saga of survival introducing different muses along the way, from a real-life ancestor, a martyr who fell in love with Jesus, and a group of rugged women. — Tina Eves, SPIN, 13 July 2026

Each family has developed its own strategies for explaining and remembering their ancestors' actions in 1898. — CBS News, 12 July 2026

However, when her island's resources are threatened, Moana embraces her ancestors' voyaging heritage and heads out to sea to find Maui, deliver the heart of Te Fiti (which Maui stole back in the day) and save her people. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 July 2026