ATAVISTIC Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

atavistic

adjective

Definition of atavistic

as in archaic

formal very primitive

—used to describe feelings or qualities that human beings have had from the earliest times atavistic instincts reverting to atavistic behavior

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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 atavistic To dismiss animism as ignorant, superstitious, or atavistic is to partake in modern parochialism, and this serves the interests of those who, like the tree’s killers, delight in destroying life. — Colin Cepuran, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 Safdie perceptively locates the protagonist’s troubling inner contradictions—the atavistic fury that drives him to compete and the intense self-control that competition demands—but dramatizes such outer crises as opioid addiction and conflict with his girlfriend (Emily Blunt) only schematically. — Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025 Rather than conjuring a mood of bracing inexorability, this linear focus only suffocates what might be an interesting debate, as a man of the modern world weighs his values against those of a woman raised in atavistic isolation. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025 The experts think fiat money is mature and serious and the gold standard cranky, weird, and atavistic. — Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for atavistic

Adjective

The Spanish is archaic, the intonations are complicated, and the words tumble over themselves like a hard charge toward the goal posts.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026
For golf cart operators, that evolution absolutely begins by ditching archaic lead-acid relics engineered for a bygone era.

— Malana VanTyler, USA Today, 24 June 2026

Definition of archaic

Adjective

There are historical examples of teams that seemed dead in the water only to catch fire and make the playoffs.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026
The interest is less in reproducing historical jewelry — no one is asking clients to dress like Julius Caesar — than in giving contemporary pieces the patina, uniqueness and narrative of objects that appear to have lived another life.

— Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 16 July 2026

Definition of historical

Adjective

Combing through the aisles of your local antique market isn't the only way to score a rug with old-world character.

— Vy Yang, Architectural Digest, 9 July 2026
But its old-world sense of adventure, thanks to direct access to the Golden Outback—the western region of the country’s vast interior, with ties to the gold rush of the late 1800s—has remained.

— Justin Meneguzzi, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026

Definition of old-world

Adjective

Reminiscent of a bygone era, these massive ships often serve as floating ambassadors on diplomatic missions.

— Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 1 July 2026
In this context, many proslavery Americans saw the song’s protagonist as longing not just for bygone days but for a return to slavery.

— Christopher Lynch, The Conversation, 1 July 2026

Definition of bygone

Adjective

The site was dated to a late prehistoric era in Thailand, a period of human settlement also known as the Iron Age, established to be around 1,500 to 2,500 years ago.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
Marine diets have been documented in modern wolves living in coastal Alaska and British Columbia, but researchers say there is no previous evidence of wolves in prehistoric Scandinavia relying so heavily on seafood.

— Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026

Definition of prehistoric

Adjective

Though the team failed to advance to the knockout round, its historic run inspired an outpouring of national pride, while uniting Haitians at home and abroad.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
The port lies near the historic village of Tis, where archaeological remains date back to at least 2500 BCE.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 15 July 2026