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
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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
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Recent Examples of ancestors
Like their ancient ancestors, visitors standing at the center of the stone circle on Sunday will be able to watch the sun rise above the Heel Stone to the northeast — weather depending, of course.
—
Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 18 June 2026
How did some of our oldest ancestors make the first step onto land some 350 million years ago?
—Sarah Durn, Popular Science, 18 June 2026
Taiwan’s indigenous people –– who nowadays make up just a tiny proportion of the island’s population –– are believed to be the ancestors of many of the groups who came to inhabit lands stretching from Hawaii and Easter Island in the eastern Pacific, to Madagascar, off the coast of east Africa.
—Wayne Chang, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
But the primitive areas of our brains still have connections from when our ancestors relied on smell to survive.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 16 June 2026
Many of our ancestors, including my grandmother, claimed Mexican identity for protection for themselves and their children.
—Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
Though the indignity ran deep, our ancestors refused to bow.
—John E. Jackson Sr, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026
Drawing on generations of Chinatown family lore and silences, See turns China City’s vanished streets and her ancestors’ immigrant gambles into a historical fiction layered with stories of survival and belonging.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
This is a team that considers playing defense a personal insult to their ancestors.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 18 June 2026
How did some of our oldest ancestors make the first step onto land some 350 million years ago?
—Sarah Durn, Popular Science, 18 June 2026
Taiwan’s indigenous people –– who nowadays make up just a tiny proportion of the island’s population –– are believed to be the ancestors of many of the groups who came to inhabit lands stretching from Hawaii and Easter Island in the eastern Pacific, to Madagascar, off the coast of east Africa.
—Wayne Chang, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
But the primitive areas of our brains still have connections from when our ancestors relied on smell to survive.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 16 June 2026
Many of our ancestors, including my grandmother, claimed Mexican identity for protection for themselves and their children.
—Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
Though the indignity ran deep, our ancestors refused to bow.
—John E. Jackson Sr, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026
Drawing on generations of Chinatown family lore and silences, See turns China City’s vanished streets and her ancestors’ immigrant gambles into a historical fiction layered with stories of survival and belonging.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
This is a team that considers playing defense a personal insult to their ancestors.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestors
Noun
-
One of my grandfathers was born to Greek immigrants from a village in the mountains above Sparta, the other to Jewish immigrants from what is now Belarus.—
Yoni Appelbaum,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
-
Opponents hope to negotiate a compromise that grandfathers in existing applicants.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacbee.com,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Even the Hammurabi Code, a set of laws created by the sixth Babylonian king in approximately 1760 bce, established forerunners of today’s interest rate and minimum wage laws.—
Chris Roush,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The Norwegian ended his season before the Olympics to further recover from a shoulder injury, but attended the finals as one of the forerunners, who test a course shortly before a race starts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Though strictly a fathers club, the group, Nieves said, has grown thanks to wives and partners sharing his social media posts with their husbands.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
Golf provides the perfect setup for fathers to bond with their sons and daughters.—
John Dunlap,
Charlotte Observer,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Earth-impacting shrapnel from those primordial upheavals may have helped seed our planet with the precursors for life, delivering water and organic compounds from the dark, icy depths of the outer solar system.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
18 June 2026
-
Tort claims are necessary precursors to potential lawsuits against the government.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Many of these coupists capitalized on public discontent over deteriorating economies and security conditions to overthrow their predecessors.—
Kaitlyn Rabe,
The Conversation,
16 June 2026
-
Trump’s predecessors were hardly saints.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ancestors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestors. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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