FOREBEAR Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

forebear

noun

ˈfȯr-ˌber

variants also forbear

Definition of forebear

as in ancestor

a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent his forebears came to America on the Mayflower

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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 forebear Harking back to its Jurassic forbear, The End of Oak Street channels everyone's favorite '80s Amblin classics, but with a far more vicious bite. — Megan McCluskey, Time, 14 Aug. 2026 Some of his forebears emigrated before the genocide; others barely got out. — Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 19 July 2026 Over the years, a number of prominent mathematicians tried to prove this guess of their forebears. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 14 July 2026 Their trajectories have diverged and sometimes overlapped in the 125 years since their forebears moved through the same dusty streets on one November day. — CBS News, 12 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for forebear

Recent Examples of Synonyms for forebear

Noun

According to family history, DaCosta Levy’s family lineage traced to Portugal, where his ancestors had been mariners — almost certainly Sephardic Jews who scattered across the Atlantic world after the Inquisition.

— Zachary Kranc, Sun Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026
Government officials previously said that these 11 families split from a common male-line ancestor some 600 years ago, and are now at least 36 degrees of kinship from Naruhito.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of ancestor

Noun

Two-year-old Bo often joins his grandfather to mend fences or can identify crops by sight in the fields, Tia Barrier said of her son.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 29 Oct. 2026
Or travel back in time to Onwuachi’s family home in Trinidad and Tobago, where his grandfather made buljol saltfish salad.

— Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of grandfather

Noun

My 80-year-old mother and 87-year-old father were singing Hindu prayers to celebrate one of the most important holidays of our faith.

— Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
Lozano Garita is the father of her two youngest children, relatives said.

— Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of father

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forebear

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“Forebear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forebear. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of forebear

noun

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