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

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

An elder statesman of the group explained the tradition, and how honouring and remembering their ancestors is a central part of the Maori belief system. — Elias Burke, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026

Some of Pruitt’s first contributions were related to niche aspects of the Revolutionary War, including an entry on one of his own ancestors, a relatively obscure soldier from Virginia. — Carson Griffith, New Yorker, 30 July 2026

In Tenet, warriors from the future punish the present because their world is ravaged by climate change caused by us, their ancestors. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 July 2026

On the other hand, on both my father's side and mother's side, my ancestors all came to Taiwan from Fujian [on the Chinese mainland] around the 17th or 18th century. — Jan Camenzind Broomby, NPR, 29 July 2026

The genetic evidence suggests avocados’ ancestors picked the habit up about 40 million years ago. — Jeanne Timmons, Scientific American, 29 July 2026

My own outlook changed after a priestess told me to keep an altar to bring offerings to my ancestors. — Suzy Exposito, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026