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

Their ancestors had entered the United States through Southern ports, especially New Orleans and Galveston, which gave them a different political and cultural orientation from those who had entered through the East, and above all through New York. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

While the complexities around working within a park that his ancestors had been removed from remain, Mgesi now supports much of his extended family with the steady wage. — Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

But his family summered in Santo Stefano Belbo, the village of his paternal ancestors; Pavese also attended his first year of school in the village while his sister recovered from typhus. — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

Also, the vocal tracts and brains of our ancestors did not fossilize as they were made of soft tissue. — Hannah Little, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2026

Tribe members tell stories from when their ancestors lived on this land. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026

National Hispanic Heritage Month is an American observation honoring the cultures and contributions of people whose ancestors come from Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and Spain, according to the official website. — Nicole Harris, Parents, 19 Sep. 2026

During the Qingming Festival, observed each year in April, families visit ancestral graves with food offerings and burn incense and paper replicas of everyday goods for their ancestors. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026

One hallway features a wall of old photographs of her ancestors, alongside newer images of her immediate family members. — Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026