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

Essay Get the Lead Out Alex Manley Our ancestors were born to die by predators. — Naomi Skwarna, hazlitt.net, 25 Aug. 2026

For the last decade, genealogical consultant Grant Din has helped Asian Americans find information about their ancestors, many of whom passed through San Francisco’s Angel Island Immigration Station in the 1900s. — Stephanie Lam, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026

Amenities and experiences The name Anasazi refers to the Native American civilization that once inhabited the Four Corners region, renowned for their cliff dwellings and recognized as the ancestors of today's Pueblo peoples. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Aug. 2026

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the ancestors of northern populations interbred with another species of shiner, leaving behind a genetic signature of ancient hybridization that survives today, but only in certain drainages. — David Duvernell, The Conversation, 24 Aug. 2026

There’s lessons about learning from your mistakes, honoring your ancestors and loving yourself. — Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

His ancestors moved there in the 1850's, and their photos and other archives are preserved inside the Roseville Historical Society museum. — James Taylor, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

In 2011, Galliano was fired by Dior after he was captured on video berating patrons of a Paris bar by praising Hitler and saying their ancestors would have been gassed. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 20 Aug. 2026

America has a mixed history of welcoming people, but many of our ancestors certainly took advantage of its open arms. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026