variants
also grandaddy
as in forerunner
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
the granddaddy of all English mystery novels
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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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Perfected by forerunners such as Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette, this fall has already seen two music stars gift us with lay-it-all-out-there lyrics.—
Dan Heching,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
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The Park cinema launched under the ownership of Cineplex Odeon Cinemas, a forerunner of Cineplex and today an operator of multiplexes and out of home destinations.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Her ancestors were from Russia, who later fled to Ukraine and settled in Philadelphia.—
Colleen Kratofil,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
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The idea was to go back to the basic foods that their ancestors ate.—
Chrystle Fiedler,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The story revealed Lively had filed a precursor complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
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Trump said that Xi committed to cracking down on the production of fentanyl precursors as well in exchange for lowering tariffs on China.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Granddaddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/granddaddy. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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