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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atavistic
Adjective
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His work in building the Augment MBA program is a response to a problem many business schools don’t recognize: the risk of over-reliance on archaic frameworks instead of education in service of action.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025 -
Federal efforts would be better spent intervening, even by use of a consent decree, to dismantle an education system that locks poor, overwhelmingly minority students in archaic education bureaucracies based on their income and ZIP code.—
Paul Vallas,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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For more on Pope Leo XIV's historical papacy, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.—
Linda Marx,
People.com,
13 May 2025
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That historical tension—between the promise of scientific freedom and the peril of political control—may now be resurfacing in troubling ways.—
Alondra Nelson,
Time,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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This Staub Ceramic Dinnerware 12-piece stoneware place settings branded with the Staub logo on each piece are a great mix of modern design and old-world craftsmanship.—
Nora Colomer
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
2 May 2025
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The venue blends old-world charm with modern luxury, offering multiple dining environments, a vast rare tequila collection, a solarium, and picturesque gardens.—
Erica Wertheim Zohar,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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The flaw at Hingham Institution for Savings, founded in 1834, is its outmoded business model of borrowing short (with deposits) and lending long (commercial mortgages).—
William Baldwin,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
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The newest lie is that an outmoded 1910 technology, the bulky concrete bench walls on the sides of the tubes, are needed to insulate the electric power cables.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2025
Adjective
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Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news When arsenic is mentioned, many people associate it with a bygone poison.—
Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi,
Discover Magazine,
15 May 2025
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More than any of his movie star peers, Cruise seems aware that someone has to symbolize an increasingly bygone era of filmmaking, to be this century’s Charlie Chaplin.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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The existence of any prehistoric apex predators in the islands of the Caribbean used to be doubted.—
Ashley Belanger – May 16,
ArsTechnica,
16 May 2025
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The original show gave the prehistoric reptiles the nature documentary treatment, offering glimpses of a world that was ruled by dinosaurs millions of years ago through the magic of CGI and animatronics.—
Maira Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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In an effort to address some of those worries, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced plans to overhaul the antiquated telecommunications, radio and surveillance systems.—
Vanessa Romo,
NPR,
14 May 2025
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Due to an antiquated, insanely complex immigration policy, getting through the process is virtually impossible.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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Photo of the day: Chicagoans pack pews to celebrate South Side pope Rome, the ancient city and historic home of the Catholic Church, felt close to the South Side on Sunday as Chicagoans were still grasping the reality that a son of the neighborhood had become pope, the first American ever.—
Jane Onyanga-Omara,
USA Today,
13 May 2025
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Longoria went on to have many other more impressive and memorable firsts — including his April 2008 big-league debut, an improbable run to the World Series that season, his historic 2011 Game 162 homer — during a 10-season run that established him as the best player in franchise history.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Atavistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atavistic. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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