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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ancestors
The same knowing that my ancestors must have held, that beauty and resilience are not separate things.
—
Shelby Stewart, Essence, 22 Oct. 2025
Ludwig’s distant paternal ancestors were in fact German Jewish merchants, not warlike princes.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
As crepuscular animals, felines are most active at dawn and dusk, which their ancestors used to their advantage to hunt in the wild, according to an article from the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
One theory points to Buddhist monks, who would light lanterns on the 15th day of the holiday to honor Buddha—an act that evolved into a way for families to pay tribute to ancestors.
—Sarah Buder, AFAR Media, 20 Oct. 2025
Others speak of the heart-wrenching loss of ancestors' graves.
—NPR, 17 Oct. 2025
The dinosaur existed during the Late Triassic period, known for the first real appearances of dinosaurs and the early ancestors of mammals, CONICET said.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
There was a long debate around this species about whether these ancestors could make and use stone tools.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
My ancestors have passed on, property has been lost, and the complicated racial history of this country has made some of those truths — and the categories that contained them — even more difficult to uncover.
—Morgan Radford, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2025
Shelby Stewart, Essence, 22 Oct. 2025
Ludwig’s distant paternal ancestors were in fact German Jewish merchants, not warlike princes.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
As crepuscular animals, felines are most active at dawn and dusk, which their ancestors used to their advantage to hunt in the wild, according to an article from the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
One theory points to Buddhist monks, who would light lanterns on the 15th day of the holiday to honor Buddha—an act that evolved into a way for families to pay tribute to ancestors.
—Sarah Buder, AFAR Media, 20 Oct. 2025
Others speak of the heart-wrenching loss of ancestors' graves.
—NPR, 17 Oct. 2025
The dinosaur existed during the Late Triassic period, known for the first real appearances of dinosaurs and the early ancestors of mammals, CONICET said.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
There was a long debate around this species about whether these ancestors could make and use stone tools.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
My ancestors have passed on, property has been lost, and the complicated racial history of this country has made some of those truths — and the categories that contained them — even more difficult to uncover.
—Morgan Radford, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestors
Noun
-
Smith and Christian’s respective grandfathers were their catalysts into vintage fashion.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Once the territory of grandfathers and sitcom nerds, sweater vests have had a resurgence over the last decade.—
Andrea Zendejas,
Vogue,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Compared to their forerunners in the tsarist era, with their party congresses held abroad, their executive committees, and their active recruitment in imperial Russia’s universities, Soviet dissidents remained a comparatively small and informal conglomeration of activists.—
Benjamin Nathans
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The new season, which marks the first under iHeartMedia and Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network, will go beyond the original premise of interviewing famous fathers.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
-
What YouTube and these social platforms have done is allow people to create entire media groups speaking to very particular communities—to South Asian women or, say, gay fathers over forty.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Li said Sunday that the parties had brokered a preliminary framework for a trade truce including new provisions regarding China’s export controls and safeguards against the smuggling of fentanyl and its chemical precursors.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The team’s innovation focuses on Surface Immobilized Electrides, a new type of material made by attaching solvated electron precursors to stable surfaces like diamond and silicon carbide.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
One of his predecessors, Max Allegri, used to say there are categories of coaches.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Sacramento Kings general manager Scott Perry and coach Doug Christie are trying to pick up the pieces after a season of chaos caused their predecessors to lose their jobs, but so far fate and misfortune seem to be conspiring against them.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ancestors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestors. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share