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

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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

And the rest is public perception, which has shifted against what many Americans see as a dirty, archaic form of power generation.

— Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026
Now, if the league would drop its archaic blackout rules, this would be a lot easier for everyone.

— Scott Powers, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of archaic

Adjective

The study said the object, which left a greenish discoloration on her palate, was unlikely to be a coin, as the proportions of copper to gold did not correspond to those found in historical alloys.

— Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
At the same time, the film tells a true story that powerfully illustrates how indispensable investigative journalism is in uncovering historical crimes.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of historical

Adjective

Paired with solid-color cotton bedding, the ticking stripe adds just a touch of texture and pattern without leaning too heavily into the old-world look.

— Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 12 Aug. 2026
Wander through the streets of Tbilisi, where old-world charm meets modern style.

— Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of old-world

Adjective

Personally, this idea that the woke nonsense is just an outmoded relic of the past is ridiculous.

— Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 13 Aug. 2026
If outmoded office buildings end up becoming once again viable as office buildings, Berman’s thesis could end up becoming a casualty of its own transformational success.

— Andrew Rice, Curbed, 23 July 2026

Definition of outmoded

Adjective

Yan has won over Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling, two players from a bygone era, in part because his stuff is so good.

— Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026
Building to a poignant climax, writer-director Noah Segan’s elegant love letter to both New York and to bygone cinematic eras recalls both the 1970s, with its grungy urban antiheroes, and the 1990s, in its American indie ethos.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of bygone

Adjective

The Museum includes creative work from prehistoric cave paintings to today’s on-screen art.

— Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
That means a stretch of riverbank can look completely ordinary one season and reveal evidence of prehistoric life after a major weather event or prolonged change in water levels.

— Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of prehistoric

Adjective

The revisions by Takaichi's government to the antiquated law is meant to solidify the principle of the crucial imperial bloodline but pushes aside the emperor’s daughter.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Viewed through a 2026 lens, this now antiquated process seems like a herculean undertaking, one that somehow worked.

— Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of antiquated

Adjective

The backstory Once upon a time, there was a Spanish family blessed with a talent for finding historic buildings and transforming them into hotels that anyone who admires beauty and nature would want to visit.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
One of Roseville's oldest and most historic structures is getting some new attention.

— James Taylor, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026