as in grandmother
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Recent Examples of ancestress
Meanwhile, Alice, Dana’s ancestress, never becomes much more than a moral quandary: a stubborn victim who is unable to adapt.
—
Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2021
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
The intersection of these two facts does convince me that William's genealogical ancestress, Eliza Kewark, did have South Asian ancestry (not totally surprising even in notionally ethnically distinct groups like Armenians or Parsis who have been long resident in India).
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 14 June 2013
Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2021
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
The intersection of these two facts does convince me that William's genealogical ancestress, Eliza Kewark, did have South Asian ancestry (not totally surprising even in notionally ethnically distinct groups like Armenians or Parsis who have been long resident in India).
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 14 June 2013
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestress
Noun
-
His paternal grandparents were peasants in Transylvania; his maternal grandparents were also peasants, and his grandmother was illiterate.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
As grandmother imparts her wisdom about the plants’ connection with phežúta — medicines — and the importance of giving thanks for their bounty, the pair sings a special song to stinging nettle, chokecherry, red clover, milkweed, elderberry, and golden rod.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The physically towering Brimelow family matriarch was holding up keys to the castle.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
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As playful re-enactments give way to haunting revelations, Dea and Asllan confront the painful disappearance of a beloved matriarch and the collective scars of a community grappling with memory and loss.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In the first story, a couple worry about how a possible family curse that began when an ancestor made a bargain to escape enslavement might affect their happy life.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
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So when a park ranger spotted one while monitoring streams in a remote forest in September 2025, the discovery thrilled scientists and wildlife enthusiasts alike — and offered rare data about an endangered species whose ancestors lived alongside dinosaurs.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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From this progenitor, countless fragments of different sizes have been circling the sun in similar orbits.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
7 Apr. 2026
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Müntzer’s teachings helped provoke the widespread uprising of the German peasants in 1525, and have served as a kind of progenitor inspiration for later communist thinkers, from Friedrich Engels to Ernst Bloch.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
-
Yu, who died last year, had forebears.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Parks is known for paying homage to her forebears, and so Ambiguous Desire is also the result of extensive research into The Loft, Studio 54, and the history of raving.—
Aimee Cliff,
Pitchfork,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ancestress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestress. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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