FOREMOTHER Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

foremother

noun

Definition of foremother

as in grandmother

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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 foremother The show is partly Star's love letter to the glamour of Paris (a city he's been enamored with since his teens), with a protagonist who embodies both the winningest and messiest instincts of her foremother, Carrie Bradshaw. — Harper's BAZAAR, 10 Jan. 2023 No one emerges at the end of the book as entirely good or bad (save, perhaps, for Busia, Regan’s culinary foremother). — Makana Eyre, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2023 In a year when avant-pop stars such as Rosalía thrilled with volcanic vocals and cybernetic beats, their foremother dug in yet-stranger soil. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2022 Taking inspiration from her literary foremother Zora Neale Hurston, Walker centers southern Black women, who are all too often misrepresented in American culture. — Usa Today Staff, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2021 See All Example Sentences for foremother

Recent Examples of Synonyms for foremother

Noun

Her grandmother sat on the single bed as Rebecca undid the back of her dress.

— Rachel Yoder, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026
Ladoo's grandmother shoos away flies that have settled on his milk bottle and feeds the baby.

— Diaa Hadid, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of grandmother

Noun

Yang Asha is the mythical ancestress of the Miao people, an ethnic minority in China closely related to the Hmong of Southeast Asia.

— Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 26 Nov. 2020
His own mother, aged ninety, who remembered her aunt, had been able to share stories of their ancestress with the grandchildren who’d had no idea, before now, what their background might be.

— Susan Choi, Harper's magazine, 6 Jan. 2020

Definition of ancestress

Noun

Graham is the unabashed matriarch of the flock, who every year chooses the destination, books the hut, plans the menu, does meal prep, and designs the commemorative T-shirts.

— Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 30 July 2026
In May 2022, the Kardashian-Jenner matriarch shared the details of her Los Angeles home with daughter Kourtney’s lifestyle brand Poosh.

— Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026

Definition of matriarch

Noun

Those with the funds to file a court case, essentially suing the Italian state for sexism against their female ancestors, are likely to win, but legal action is lengthy and costly.

— Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Therefore, this benefit must reach everyone, not only those whose ancestors match the reference sets from past decades.

— William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of ancestor

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foremost

foremother

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Style

“Foremother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foremother. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of foremother

noun

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