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

Japan’s royal succession depends on a archaic and highly contested law, despite a wealth of women who would be eligible to rule under different circumstances.

— Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of archaic

Adjective

Bonesho said this latest interpretation doesn’t lessen the artifact’s historical importance.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2026
In addition to the historical displays and remembrances, Bennett said, there will be music courtesy of local band Emerald City and games and activities for children.

— Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of historical

Adjective

Over the years, Marco Polo has adapted to the neighborhood’s changing demographics by downplaying its old-world Italian extravagance.

— Rachel Corbett, Curbed, 31 Aug. 2026
Now at the National Museum of American History, the vanilla silk crepe dress, with its single waterfall ruffle and narrow claret ribbon at the waist, hinted at old-world craft and restraint.

— Robin Givhan, Vanity Fair, 19 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

Joe Biden, a link to a bygone era of civility and bipartisanship, ran in 2020 on a message of restoring the soul of America.

— Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of bygone

Adjective

Another, Undine kommt (Undine Comes), 2025, has its head in profile with a frontal eye, evoking the conventions of ancient Egyptian art and prehistoric female figurines, motifs that permeate Stötzer’s drawings, writings, and costumes.

— Elisa R. Linn, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Beyond art, Griffin has also been a major buyer of important documents and prehistoric fossils.

— Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of prehistoric

Adjective

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
Additionally, interviews and encounters with the slain officers’ family members also illustrate the cost and harm of a job that was formed in the early 19th century and remains antiquated and unchanged in our 21st-century world.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of antiquated

Adjective

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Hague on Monday ruled in Pakistan's favor over the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, saying the historic pact remains fully binding and that India had no valid grounds for ending or suspending it.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
This design is directly inspired by a historic Leroy tact watch created in 1810, today preserved at the Patek Philippe Museum.

— Carol Besler, Robb Report, 2 Sep. 2026