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ancestress

noun

Definition of ancestressnext
as in grandmother

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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 ancestress Yang Asha is the mythical ancestress of the Miao people, an ethnic minority in China closely related to the Hmong of Southeast Asia. — Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 26 Nov. 2020 His own mother, aged ninety, who remembered her aunt, had been able to share stories of their ancestress with the grandchildren who’d had no idea, before now, what their background might be. — Susan Choi, Harper's magazine, 6 Jan. 2020 Enshrined at Kashikodokoro is the sun goddess Amaterasu, the mythological ancestress of Japan’s emperors. — Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2019 Enshrined at Kashikodokoro is the sun goddess Amaterasu, the mythological ancestress of Japan's emperors. — NBC News, 22 Oct. 2019 Instead of being a reticulated mesh the genealogy of mtDNA is a clean and inverted elegant tree leading back to a common ancestress. — Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 17 Nov. 2010
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestress
  1. grandmother
  2. matriarch
  3. ancestor
  4. progenitor
  5. foremother
  6. forebear
Noun
  • My grandmother was a Hummel devotee, and my mother had a glittery assortment of perfume bottles.
    — Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Police found Williams in a vehicle in the driveway of his grandmother’s home suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of grandmother
Noun
  • In a small Nepalese village nestled in the heart of a forest populated by wild elephants, Pirati is the matriarch of a Kinnar community.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The streamer has picked up a drama called How to Survive Without Me, about a family dealing with the loss of its matriarch.
    — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of matriarch
Noun
  • 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, 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
Definition of ancestor
Noun
  • One of those daughters was the magical Maria, progenitor of Sally, Gillian, Kylie, and Antonia’s bloodline.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Somewhat surprisingly, the AI progenitor networks, tensor clouds, and evolutionary random forests mostly agreed that WHEEP-3’s advice was helpful, though their explanations for why could not be understood by most humans.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of progenitor
Noun
  • Through our hair and its many rituals, remain the herbalism of our foremothers in the new world, passing down their ingenuity of homemade balms, creams, and oils for hair growth.
    — Eshe Ukweli, refinery29.com, 7 June 2023
  • In fact, precursors to modern bleaching processes didn’t come on the scene until the turn of the 20th century, leaving our foremothers and forefathers plenty of time to get creative with their blonde pursuits.
    — AJ Willingham, CNN, 28 May 2023
Definition of foremother
Noun
  • Plant paid special attention to forebears and contemporaries.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Harking back to its Jurassic forbear, The End of Oak Street channels everyone's favorite '80s Amblin classics, but with a far more vicious bite.
    — Megan McCluskey, Time, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of forebear

Browse Nearby Words

ancestral
ancestress
ancestresses
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Cite this Entry

“Ancestress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestress. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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