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

In our era of incessant texting, the concept of these radio missives struck me as both archaic and romantic.

— Jordan Salama, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
The archaic legal restrictions restricting same-sex couples or unmarried women, for example, are acknowledged and adhered to, rather than being openly challenged or criticized.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of archaic

Adjective

Meanwhile, in Bar Sur, regional maker Cata Flaño contributed a massive mixed-media mural combining watercolors with local peat, driftwood, and historical navigation charts marked at 55 degrees south.

— Liam Hess, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
Rudnitzky said historical developments, the impact of the Oslo Accords and the entry of new Arab representatives into the Knesset contributed to a gradual shift away from Jewish parties, with more Arab voters turning to Arab parties.

— Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of historical

Adjective

At The Aster, a boutique hotel and members club in Hollywood, guests can begin the day with classes in the reformer Pilates studio, where old-world dark wood and ornamental columns are paired with high-tech apparatus.

— Lindsay Cohn, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2026
Hiller plays Aldrict, an old-world vampire who has crossed paths with Liz several times over the centuries and is a bit of a troublemaker.

— Peter White, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of old-world

Adjective

This tense aspect pushes us to evolve and strip away outmoded patterns, confronting our relationship with vulnerability, control, and fear.

— Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
The group is silent and still, reverently absorbing the mechanical chug of this nearly outmoded office machine like Hollywood Bowl-goers taking in Joshua Bell.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of outmoded

Adjective

In the absence of physical tickets, multiple bespoke, aftermarket businesses have sprouted, each offering fans the opportunity to reclaim a bygone tradition.

— Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Cope, who participated in Frieze London with his namesake gallery, is intentionally alluding to a bygone era of art fairs with his participation in the Dallas and London Invitationals.

— Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of bygone

Adjective

According to firefighters, the department’s flood response was also limited by an antiquated dispatch system.

— Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
Plaintiffs challenging the prohibition on home distilling claim the 1868 law is an antiquated relic of Reconstruction-era politics.

— Michael Kunzelman, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of antiquated

Adjective

In September 2026 Huang and a few collaborators uploaded a proof that the historic equations represent a single case of a much grander geometrical theory.

— Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2026
Days out from the historic vote, the race also has become a new venue for the city’s infamously rough-and-tumble politics.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026