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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ancestors
Velociraptors and microraptors were not birds, but they were closely related to ancestors of the earliest birds, such as Archaeopteryx.
—
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
The behavior may be inherited from wild ancestors Why dogs like grass in the first place is harder to answer.
—Niranjana Rajalakshmi, Popular Science, 4 June 2026
Our ancestors—the hard-working, long-suffering peasant women who told these stories to each other and passed them down the generations through the oral tradition—knew everything there was to know about adversity.
—Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
The contest also encouraged students to think of ways to prevent water pollution, and how our ancestors may have loved to save water.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2026
But what is new is its emergence in a post-modern world, as opposed to the pre-modern world of our ancestors.
—Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
But the lake has steadily expanded, swallowing homes, grazing lands, schools, roads and the burial grounds where Lenkutuk's ancestors were laid to rest.
—Tommy Trenchard, NPR, 31 May 2026
In her book Fresh Banana Leaves, Indigenous scientist and scholar Jessica Hernandez meditates on the meaning of the banana plant within the ecologies of her ancestors across what is now Mexico and El Salvador.
—Sophia Rey, JSTOR Daily, 28 May 2026
His political lineage dates back to 1776, when one of his ancestors became New Jersey’s first leader after the United States declared independence.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 26 May 2026
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
The behavior may be inherited from wild ancestors Why dogs like grass in the first place is harder to answer.
—Niranjana Rajalakshmi, Popular Science, 4 June 2026
Our ancestors—the hard-working, long-suffering peasant women who told these stories to each other and passed them down the generations through the oral tradition—knew everything there was to know about adversity.
—Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
The contest also encouraged students to think of ways to prevent water pollution, and how our ancestors may have loved to save water.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2026
But what is new is its emergence in a post-modern world, as opposed to the pre-modern world of our ancestors.
—Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
But the lake has steadily expanded, swallowing homes, grazing lands, schools, roads and the burial grounds where Lenkutuk's ancestors were laid to rest.
—Tommy Trenchard, NPR, 31 May 2026
In her book Fresh Banana Leaves, Indigenous scientist and scholar Jessica Hernandez meditates on the meaning of the banana plant within the ecologies of her ancestors across what is now Mexico and El Salvador.
—Sophia Rey, JSTOR Daily, 28 May 2026
His political lineage dates back to 1776, when one of his ancestors became New Jersey’s first leader after the United States declared independence.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 26 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestors
Noun
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Opponents hope to negotiate a compromise that grandfathers in existing applicants.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacbee.com,
31 May 2026
-
Homer is named after both of his grandfathers—Homer Gere and James Lowell—while his third name comes from Gere’s Buddhist background.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
27 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
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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
-
And yet, the complex plot comes down to the bond between Albus and Scorpius, who are living in their fathers’ shadows, bullied and uncertain of themselves, as their connections with their dads falter.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
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While some riders prioritize adventure, many fathers simply want a reliable and comfortable way to travel around town.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Many scientists believe that the vocal systems of great apes were too limited to be considered precursors of human language, but the work of Crockford, Berthet and their colleagues suggests otherwise.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
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These foods don’t have sky-high amounts of melatonin, and some contain more precursors to melatonin than the hormone itself, Tahir says.—
Sarah Klein,
Time,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Naval Combat Demolition Units and others are the predecessors of the Navy SEALs, possibly best known for the mission in 2011 that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
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During their mission, the crew will spend around two weeks inside their Orion capsule—about four days more than their predecessors did in April’s Artemis II mission, a nearly 10-day voyage that took four other astronauts looping around the moon’s farside.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ancestors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestors. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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