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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Recent Examples of granddaddy
The Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement – the deal that ceded the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia to Adolf Hitler’s Germany in a bid to avert war in Europe — is the granddaddy of historical analogies.
—
Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2025
Then the old granddaddy of all the deer tribes came out of the thicket and followed the does.
—Chester Chatfield, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2025
The granddaddy of all junior surf contests, The Menehune contest was first held at the La Jolla Shores in 1965 and was won by a young girl, Margot Godfrey (Oberg), a future world champion.
—News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Aug. 2025
This is the granddaddy of biases in the business world.
—Jj Rosen, The Tennessean, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for granddaddy
Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2025
Then the old granddaddy of all the deer tribes came out of the thicket and followed the does.
—Chester Chatfield, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2025
The granddaddy of all junior surf contests, The Menehune contest was first held at the La Jolla Shores in 1965 and was won by a young girl, Margot Godfrey (Oberg), a future world champion.
—News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Aug. 2025
This is the granddaddy of biases in the business world.
—Jj Rosen, The Tennessean, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for granddaddy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for granddaddy
Noun
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One theory points to Buddhist monks, who would light lanterns on the 15th day of the holiday to honor Buddha—an act that evolved into a way for families to pay tribute to ancestors.—
Sarah Buder,
AFAR Media,
20 Oct. 2025
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First Alert 4 reported that this counterfeit note was marked as ancestor money, a symbolic bill burned as a ritual offering in Chinese culture.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Half of those tested had osteoporosis or a forerunner condition, osteopenia.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Oct. 2025
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Compared to their forerunners in the tsarist era, with their party congresses held abroad, their executive committees, and their active recruitment in imperial Russia’s universities, Soviet dissidents remained a comparatively small and informal conglomeration of activists.—
Benjamin Nathans
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And so the conflict between love, on one side, and faith, family, and tradition reignites, in a season that retraces the arc of its predecessor—and especially its finale—a bit too closely.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
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One of his predecessors, Max Allegri, used to say there are categories of coaches.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Granddaddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/granddaddy. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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