Synonyms of ancestors

ancestors

noun

plural of ancestor

1

as in grandfathers

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

• grandfathers
• fathers
• forefathers
• forebears
• grandmothers
• progenitors
• forebearers
• predecessors
• ancestries
• primogenitors
• foremothers
• patriarchs
• matriarchs
• ancestresses
• grandsires
• antecessors
• antecedents
• roots
• sires

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• descendants
• families
• children
• offspring
• issues
• lineages
• seed
• sons
• stocks
• daughters
• heirs
• successors
• progenies
• posterities
• inheritors
• scions

2

as in forerunners

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

• forerunners
• precursors
• predecessors
• antecedents
• prototypes
• originals
• granddaddies
• archetypes
• originators
• mothers
• daddies
• models
• foregoers
• fathers
• sires

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• descendants
• derivatives
• sons
• daughters
• offshoots
• outgrowths
• by-products
• spin-offs

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ancestors

Throughout the region, remains of 5,500 ancestors that were displaced have been made available for return to the Tohono O’odham Nation, according to ProPublica’s NAGPRA database. — Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2026

What began as a personal offering to her ancestors evolved into a recognizable symbol of cultural visibility across the city. — Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 31 Oct. 2026

Today, this Chilean territory is essentially an open-air archaeological museum, with many of its enigmatic moai (representations of Polynesian ancestors) returned to their upright positions following seven decades of restoration. — Mark Johanson, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2026

Our ancestors could not dim the day, postpone the night, or order light at midnight. — Randy J. Nelson, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2026

Gonzalez painted Monarch butterflies, too, symbols of ancestors in the Mexican culture, particularly important around Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, in early November. — Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026

Food has an important role in connecting with ancestors on Dia de Muertos. — Zayda Rivera, Parents, 29 Oct. 2026

According to family history, DaCosta Levy’s family lineage traced to Portugal, where his ancestors had been mariners — almost certainly Sephardic Jews who scattered across the Atlantic world after the Inquisition. — Zachary Kranc, Sun Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026

An appliance that cleans dirty clothes in just an hour is a modern marvel—one our ancestors might envy more than anything else. — Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 27 Oct. 2026