as in lineages
the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended
a Cambodian immigrant who can trace her Khmer ancestry as far back as the 16th century
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Recent Examples of ancestries
This lack of representation is problematic for people of different ancestries because genetic risk factors differ across populations.
—
Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
The box covers the most popular classes and ancestries such as humans, elves, dwarves and halflings.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
The box covers the most popular classes and ancestries such as humans, elves, dwarves and halflings.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestries
Noun
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The paleontologist Simon Conway Morris points out that there are common and widespread patterns of convergent evolution in life’s history, where similar adaptations, like eyes, wings, and streamlined bodies, evolved independently in unrelated lineages.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Oct. 2025
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Participants danced and sang songs native to their tribal lineages.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Jalen Hurts have outstanding pedigrees and produced in Super Bowls yet still have their detractors nationwide and within the fan base.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
6 Jan. 2026
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Last year, all five nominees boasted international pedigrees.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The seal texts often introduced the owners with their names, genealogies, gender, professions and hometowns.—
Serdar Yalçin,
The Conversation,
3 Nov. 2025
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Transcripts, grammars, vocabularies, dictionaries, glyph studies, botanical studies, commentaries, articles, editions of codices, correspondence, maps, charts, drawings, photographs, Maya Society materials, genealogies of Maya families, and Mayan glyphs on moveable type.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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With similarly humble origins, Frank Howard’s famous rock, which was brought back to him by a fan from California’s Death Valley, began as a doorstop.—
Elizabeth Hutchison Hicklin,
Southern Living,
8 Nov. 2025
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Since then, research into the disease and its origins has expanded significantly, uncovering genetic, biochemical and environmental factors that may contribute to its onset and progression.—
The San Diego Union Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ancestries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestries. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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