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
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Recent Examples of atavistic
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
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
-
Traditional family law can be archaic, inconsistent and not aligned with the realities of modern relationships.—
Julia Rodgers,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
-
According to the team, in a few years, entrepreneurs will consider a passive site as archaic as a business without a phone number.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The 7% rule refers to the historical average annual return of the stock market.—
Andreina Rodriguez,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
-
What’s being erased are actual historical facts.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s an atemporal quality to the film’s stylized alternate reality, which blends an old-world charm with signs of a technocratic dystopia, all contained to a few blocks in an imaginary town.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
-
These silhouettes didn’t read as rigid or old-world.—
Essence,
Essence,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Until Uber and Lyft arrived, ride-seekers were reliant on outmoded taxicab operations.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
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This has been attributed in part to surging loads from artificial intelligence data centers, as well as outmoded energy infrastructure.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
But in lieu of an actual team, the city is full of older fans clinging to bygone stories, younger fans finding other rooting interests and an NHL-ready arena that just celebrated its 10th birthday in September with no NHL tenant.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Look up old Halloween costume photos, scour eBay for retro plastic masks or do your hair and makeup reminiscent of a bygone decade.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Its image is painted on ancient Southwestern pottery and chiseled into prehistoric petroglyphs that line Texas canyons.—
Hollace Ava Weiner,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Oct. 2025
-
From the Elgol dinosaur to the Krusatodon or the world’s largest pterosaur fossil from the Jurassic period, fossils found here have shaped our understanding of the prehistoric world.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Large events might overwhelm its antiquated plumbing system.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
28 Sep. 2025
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The immigration agent didn’t know what to make of the antiquated document.—
Pedro Rios,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This has triggered debate among people with historic association to United.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Two months after historic floods swept through the Milwaukee area, new data shows that nearly 2,200 homes throughout Milwaukee County sustained major damage or were destroyed.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Atavistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atavistic. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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