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

Not that Georgian masculinity, with its macho, bellicose posturing and archaic codes of honor, is portrayed as anything other than fumbling and futile.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Li said that Yunnan would have offered our archaic human relatives a hospitable climate, rich in plant and animal life.

— Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of archaic

Adjective

As the name reflected, the museum contained duelling missions from the start, showcasing American technological advances and telling a more general historical story.

— Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 24 Sep. 2026
Artists from various musical genres are coming together to take part in a new music project inspired by the series The Chosen, a historical drama based on the life and ministry of Jesus.

— Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of historical

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

Like much else in Guatemala, the colossal, mint-green presidential palace where Arévalo sat down with me is a holdover from a bygone era of authoritarianism.

— Will Freeman, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
Stickers celebrating bygone 21st birthdays cover the walls outside the bathrooms.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of bygone

Adjective

The cave had effectively served as a prehistoric rest and maintenance station.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
Robert Eagle, a co-author of the study and a geobiologist at University of California, Los Angeles, pioneered this approach to measuring prehistoric body temperatures.

— Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of prehistoric

Adjective

Arnold Roma became one of the most persistent voices behind an effort to resurrect Fire Patrol, arguing that New York had lost more than an antiquated insurance service.

— Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Costco online cake ordering updates antiquated system The online cake ordering feature was first revealed to be on the way by Costco CEO Ron Vachris in the company's quarterly earnings call in December 2025.

— Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of antiquated

Adjective

Because of this historic nature of the hotel, even rooms in the same class can vary in size.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
The town of Oak Bluffs will be celebrated in Love on the Vineyard as one of America’s most historic Black communities.

— Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026