variants
also grandaddy
as in ancestor
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
the granddaddy of all English mystery novels
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of granddaddy
Well, the granddaddy of them all was former President Gerald Ford's pardon of former President Richard Nixon in 1974 for allegations or accusations associated with the Watergate scandal.
—
Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025
The Greatest @Home Videos, of course, is an offshoot from the granddaddy of the clips genre, America’s Funniest Home Videos, which has been a staple on ABC for the last 25 years.
—Marc Berman, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
As the granddaddy of partnerships with limited liability, the LP, the original limited partnership, offered taxpayers the strongest claim for invoking the loophole.
—Paul Kiel, ProPublica, 11 Dec. 2024
Also part of this collection is hats, jackets and socks all paying homage to the granddaddy of American guitars.
—Ron Hart, SPIN, 29 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for granddaddy
Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025
The Greatest @Home Videos, of course, is an offshoot from the granddaddy of the clips genre, America’s Funniest Home Videos, which has been a staple on ABC for the last 25 years.
—Marc Berman, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
As the granddaddy of partnerships with limited liability, the LP, the original limited partnership, offered taxpayers the strongest claim for invoking the loophole.
—Paul Kiel, ProPublica, 11 Dec. 2024
Also part of this collection is hats, jackets and socks all paying homage to the granddaddy of American guitars.
—Ron Hart, SPIN, 29 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for granddaddy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for granddaddy
Noun
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Now is the time to stand up for every American’s First Amendment right to tell their story, to dissent from the government’s world view, to celebrate the resilience and fortitude of ancestors who fought for their rights and their culture in this country.—
John Leguizamo,
New York Daily News,
6 June 2025
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Names carry the legacy of our ancestors, the history of our culture, and the desires of our parents.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
5 June 2025
Noun
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The forerunner of today’s sleek MacBook laptops was the PowerBook.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
11 June 2025
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Frederick Ashton’s for the Sadler’s Wells Ballet (the forerunner of the Royal Ballet) in 1952, with a resplendent Margot Fonteyn in the title role, put the ballet back into the mainstream repertory, though it wasn’t performed by the Royal from the mid-1960s to 2004.—
Roslyn Sulcas,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Bears fans were led to believe Johnson’s predecessor, Matt Eberflus, was a disciplinarian.—
Brad Biggs,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2025
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Polis’ predecessor, now-U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, did so less often — in part because split control of the legislature’s chambers at times kept partisan measures from reaching the Democrat’s desk.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Granddaddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/granddaddy. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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