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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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
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
-
Trump’s 60-day suspension gives Congress the cover to repeal the archaic shipping law.—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
18 Mar. 2026
-
With news breaking that Meghan was pregnant with their son Archie, she and Harry were widely viewed as the fresh new faces of an archaic institution.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As Trump fumbles with the Pandora’s Box he’s broken open, there’s no shortage of historical analogies to choose from.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Oftentimes, exhibits—which range in focus from a specific artist to a historical period to a thematic thread—can displace the permanent collection.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Indeed, few foreigners leave without being enraptured by a fascinating cultural tapestry which lives on in old-world architectural landmarks and century-spanning festivals.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Further afield, in Europe, old-world wines from France and Italy are complemented by fairy-tale-like settings cloaked in cypress trees and lavender fields.—
Kristin Braswell,
Architectural Digest,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But then, the fear that AI could render swaths of the software trade outmoded moved a wave of the savings-for-retirement crowd to demand their money back.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Jones’s novels derive much of their richness from her striking capacity to use literary and cultural tropes that may seem outmoded to new ends.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This means that even Gehry’s most recent work can already seem to belong to a bygone era.—
Julian Rose,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2026
-
That is a relic of a bygone era.—
Suzanne Schneider,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Her burial site wasn’t far from where other prehistoric remains have been discovered over the years, on what was once a bluff overlooking the river.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Casa Grande's Great House Casa Grande, or the Great House, is one of the largest prehistoric structures built in North America.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Its walls of red brick had grown thicker after years of gunked ink, the slats of its wooden floors were wildly uneven beneath the buckling weight of antiquated iron machines.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Idaho is taking steps to bolster its antiquated coroner system following stories by ProPublica that documented how lawmakers have repeatedly failed to fix problems that harm grieving families.—
Audrey Dutton,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There were questions, as late as Friday, whether the 26,700-seat stadium would be ready to host the historic occasion.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
-
And with those words from Mission Control on April 2, the Artemis II astronauts were given the green light to fire up their engine, leave Earth orbit and head for their historic rendezvous with the moon.—
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Atavistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atavistic. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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