variants
also forbears
as in ancestors
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forebears
Generations of Irish schoolchildren studied the language of their forebears.
—
Big Think, 4 May 2026
Conversely, maybe the fact that their songs, while impressively self-possessed, weren’t directly confrontational has kept them from being counted as forebears to the feminist punks who would come after.
—Marissa Lorusso, Pitchfork, 3 May 2026
But the real transformation came when our hominin predecessors, the forebears of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, broke from this pattern.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
Medical science has blessed our generation with an abundance of preventive methods — including vaccines — and treatments that enable a far greater percentage of us to live longer and healthier lives than our forebears.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 30 Apr. 2026
Though not as breathtakingly palatial as its forebears in Hong Kong (the first-born) and Manila (the second), this third child is nonetheless manor-like, quietly confident, and a total oasis.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Two hundred fifty years ago our political forebears softened their biases and brought forth something new and remarkable.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Medical science has blessed our generation with an abundance of preventive methods — including vaccines — and treatments that enable a far greater percentage of us to live longer and healthier lives than our forebears.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Banerjee, who was born in 1963, offered an effusive epilogue to the modernist exhibit, exploring dimensions, textures and scale that many of her artistic forebears could only dream of.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2026
Big Think, 4 May 2026
Conversely, maybe the fact that their songs, while impressively self-possessed, weren’t directly confrontational has kept them from being counted as forebears to the feminist punks who would come after.
—Marissa Lorusso, Pitchfork, 3 May 2026
But the real transformation came when our hominin predecessors, the forebears of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, broke from this pattern.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
Medical science has blessed our generation with an abundance of preventive methods — including vaccines — and treatments that enable a far greater percentage of us to live longer and healthier lives than our forebears.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 30 Apr. 2026
Though not as breathtakingly palatial as its forebears in Hong Kong (the first-born) and Manila (the second), this third child is nonetheless manor-like, quietly confident, and a total oasis.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Two hundred fifty years ago our political forebears softened their biases and brought forth something new and remarkable.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Medical science has blessed our generation with an abundance of preventive methods — including vaccines — and treatments that enable a far greater percentage of us to live longer and healthier lives than our forebears.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Banerjee, who was born in 1963, offered an effusive epilogue to the modernist exhibit, exploring dimensions, textures and scale that many of her artistic forebears could only dream of.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forebears
Noun
-
This is among the most universal pieces of advice from our ancestors.—
Jonathan Haidt,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
-
One by one, group members tearfully thanked their ancestors and poured white rum on the beach.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
And if the cabinet grandfathers only the HS classes of 2024 and 2025 while applying the new rule to 2026 graduates, an entire cohort gets jammed onto the same clock as players one and two years older—a cliff disguised as a transition.—
Daryl G. Jones,
Sportico.com,
15 May 2026
-
The captains were the fathers, or at least the grandfathers, of this genre.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In November 2025, the fathers told the court about their child’s birth and a day later, Uthmeier, the AG, began pushing his way into this case.—
Ann Marie Luft,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
-
Softness and even open expression of feelings between fathers and sons are not part of the male Circassian factory model.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forebears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forebears. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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