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

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
Cornell University’s investigation, of course, did not have to adhere to New York’s arguably archaic criminal standards, but its response, too, has triggered anger and disbelief across airwaves and social media.

— Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of archaic

Adjective

The row reached the competition jury’s press conference the day after the opening ceremony, where a reporter raised the question of historical fact and creative freedom.

— Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Furthermore, the use of economic arguments to justify oppression has disturbing historical precedent.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 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

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

— Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of outmoded

Adjective

They were originally built to pay homage to the Sound’s bygone era as a gold mining settlement.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
This decline is often captured sentimentally in memoirs about the Jewish South of a bygone era or photographs of Jewish cemeteries in various states of disrepair.

— Ashley Walters, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of bygone

Adjective

The antiquated federal code lacks any guidance for building these homes to withstand earthquakes, wildfires or tornadoes.

— Arindam Chowdhury, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
Adopting techniques from classic-Hollywood style, cinematographers dusted off antiquated equipment, using tungsten bulbs instead of LEDs to create the low-key contrasts typical of the genre.

— Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of antiquated

Adjective

Both those historic actions happened as part of the Biden administration's focus on anti-money laundering and efforts to promote compliance with the then-emerging virtual currency industry.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
Yeager's historic flight followed a series of unpowered glide tests, incuding three by Yeager himself in August of 1947, followed by ever faster subsonic powered flights.

— Tariq Malik, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026