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
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Recent Examples of forebears
The historic European Protestant traditions that were the forebears of the American church placed great emphasis on learning and on doctrine, but the result was a faith that tended to be aristocratic and élitist.
—
Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
Since then, Istanbul has seen only mayors from his AKP party and its forebears, the Welfare and Virtue parties.
—Kaya Genç, The Dial, 9 June 2026
In 1786, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson visited the site to see where, almost a century and a half earlier, their forebears had fought to dethrone a king, showing the world that another system of government was possible.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
Reopening the door to China in 1972, Richard Nixon reawakened his forebears’ dream of making China embrace American-style democracy and capitalism.
—Wyatt Williams, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
When Stanley Tucci isn’t busy making hit movies like The Devil Wears Prada 2, he can often be found in Italy, the land of his forebears.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 30 May 2026
The scene recalled the gruesome rampages of the RSF’s forebears, the janjaweed militias who terrorized Sudan’s Darfur region a generation ago.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
Absent the lush melancholy of classic synth-pop, what Hervé and Amato had in common with their forbears was a spirit of innovation rooted in profound laziness.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 23 May 2026
Generations of Irish schoolchildren studied the language of their forebears.
—Big Think, 4 May 2026
Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
Since then, Istanbul has seen only mayors from his AKP party and its forebears, the Welfare and Virtue parties.
—Kaya Genç, The Dial, 9 June 2026
In 1786, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson visited the site to see where, almost a century and a half earlier, their forebears had fought to dethrone a king, showing the world that another system of government was possible.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
Reopening the door to China in 1972, Richard Nixon reawakened his forebears’ dream of making China embrace American-style democracy and capitalism.
—Wyatt Williams, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
When Stanley Tucci isn’t busy making hit movies like The Devil Wears Prada 2, he can often be found in Italy, the land of his forebears.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 30 May 2026
The scene recalled the gruesome rampages of the RSF’s forebears, the janjaweed militias who terrorized Sudan’s Darfur region a generation ago.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
Absent the lush melancholy of classic synth-pop, what Hervé and Amato had in common with their forbears was a spirit of innovation rooted in profound laziness.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 23 May 2026
Generations of Irish schoolchildren studied the language of their forebears.
—Big Think, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forebears
Noun
-
Our ancestors’ genomes were built through successive waves of gene transfers.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 June 2026
-
Drawing on generations of Chinatown family lore and silences, See turns China City’s vanished streets and her ancestors’ immigrant gambles into a historical fiction layered with stories of survival and belonging.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
One of my grandfathers was born to Greek immigrants from a village in the mountains above Sparta, the other to Jewish immigrants from what is now Belarus.—
Yoni Appelbaum,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
-
Opponents hope to negotiate a compromise that grandfathers in existing applicants.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacbee.com,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Blair Miller and Johnathon Bobbitt-Miller, the adoptive fathers of Harmony's brother Jamison, shared a statement following the Supreme Court's decision.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
-
Children may not resemble either parent, leading to a parent being mistaken for a nanny (with mothers) or a mentor (with fathers) when in public.—
Geoffrey Greif,
Baltimore Sun,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forebears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forebears. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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