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
Kean comes from a long line of public servants, stretching 250 years to the country’s founding when one of his ancestors became New Jersey’s first leader since independence.
—
Mike Catalini,
Fortune,
30 June 2026
The driving force for the tour is the idea that Black Americans and Muslims must unapologetically tell their own story, something their ancestors couldn’t do.
—
Julie Carr Smyth,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2026
The secretary’s beef-intensive diet, which is shared by other members of the Cabinet, including Vice President Vance, is informed by the idea that people should be eating as our prehistoric ancestors did.
—
David Merritt Johns,
The Atlantic,
27 June 2026
To decorate the feet in designer duds, to emphasize their strangeness, their alien qualities that tie us to our distant ape ancestors, with expensive materials and odd shapes, is to walk fashion forward with Darwinian chic.
—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
26 June 2026
Wood has also been asked to complete the repatriation of all tribal ancestors and cultural items as required by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 and the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 2001.
—
Tarini Mehta,
Sacbee.com,
26 June 2026
Goodhouse recalled stories his grandfather would tell him of their ancestors who were in the Hunkpapa camp when troops attacked.
—
ABC News,
25 June 2026
These findings suggest that throughout great ape evolution, our ancestors gradually developed more control over the timing of their vocalizations, including laughter.
—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
25 June 2026
But just because our microbiome differs from our ancestors' doesn't mean reverting to an earlier model is better.
—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
24 June 2026
Mike Catalini,
Fortune,
30 June 2026
The driving force for the tour is the idea that Black Americans and Muslims must unapologetically tell their own story, something their ancestors couldn’t do.
—
Julie Carr Smyth,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2026
The secretary’s beef-intensive diet, which is shared by other members of the Cabinet, including Vice President Vance, is informed by the idea that people should be eating as our prehistoric ancestors did.
—
David Merritt Johns,
The Atlantic,
27 June 2026
To decorate the feet in designer duds, to emphasize their strangeness, their alien qualities that tie us to our distant ape ancestors, with expensive materials and odd shapes, is to walk fashion forward with Darwinian chic.
—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
26 June 2026
Wood has also been asked to complete the repatriation of all tribal ancestors and cultural items as required by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 and the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 2001.
—
Tarini Mehta,
Sacbee.com,
26 June 2026
Goodhouse recalled stories his grandfather would tell him of their ancestors who were in the Hunkpapa camp when troops attacked.
—
ABC News,
25 June 2026
These findings suggest that throughout great ape evolution, our ancestors gradually developed more control over the timing of their vocalizations, including laughter.
—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
25 June 2026
But just because our microbiome differs from our ancestors' doesn't mean reverting to an earlier model is better.
—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
24 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestors
Noun
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One of his great-great-grandfathers, Ned, was enslaved in Texas before being freed on Juneteenth.
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Happy Father’s Day to fathers everywhere — birth fathers, stepfathers, adoptive and foster fathers, grandfathers, and all of you caring men who mentor children and fill the role of absent dads.
Noun
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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.
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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.
Noun
-
Russert and Sanders Townsend have bonded over losing their fathers.
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That would have been unlikely just a few years ago — when laws in this Muslim-majority nation forbade women freedom of travel without permission from husbands or fathers.
Noun
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Essentially, this transition marks the point where our cells are set up with the precursors required for organ formation, one of the most critical events in human development.
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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.
Noun
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Today’s new cars and trucks are many times more sophisticated than their predecessors just a few decades ago.
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The many new elements are deeper and much more exciting than their predecessors.
Cite this Entry
“Ancestors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestors. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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