1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

prehistoric

adjective

ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-ik How to pronounce prehistoric (audio)
variants also prehistorical
Definition of prehistoricnext
as in archaic
having passed its time of use or usefulness prehistoric notions about mental illness that have no place in today's world

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 prehistoric This long, curved bronze horn was discovered in prehistoric Scandinavian excavations, dating to the Late Bronze Age, roughly 1000–500 bce. — Kara Rogers, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Sep. 2026 The National Museum alone lost almost two-thirds of its inventory, comprising nearly 100,000 artifacts that covered Sudan’s prehistoric age through its Nubian era, the Kingdom of Kush, the Christian era and its Islamic period. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Seeing those ancient sculptures would have a lasting impact on Cabrera, whose work contained forms that recall pagan ritual and prehistoric objects. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 7 Sep. 2026 Fontang played on the tour in the 1990s, which is now considered a prehistoric era in terms of recovery science. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prehistoric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prehistoric
  1. archaic
  2. obsolete
  3. medieval
  4. antiquated
  5. neolithic
Adjective
  • Not that Georgian masculinity, with its macho, bellicose posturing and archaic codes of honor, is portrayed as anything other than fumbling and futile.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Li said that Yunnan would have offered our archaic human relatives a hospitable climate, rich in plant and animal life.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of archaic
Adjective
  • Replacing obsolete systems and components LANSCE’s aging infrastructure has become increasingly difficult to maintain.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Officials previously said the aging tower had become inefficient and obsolete.
    — Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of obsolete
Adjective
  • For those who favor outdoor adventure, climb up the famed hiking trail to get to the medieval fortress at the very top of the town.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026
  • There are two sculptures in the center of the gallery, ramps with those medieval spikes.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of medieval
Adjective
  • Arnold Roma became one of the most persistent voices behind an effort to resurrect Fire Patrol, arguing that New York had lost more than an antiquated insurance service.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Costco online cake ordering updates antiquated system The online cake ordering feature was first revealed to be on the way by Costco CEO Ron Vachris in the company's quarterly earnings call in December 2025.
    — Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of antiquated
Adjective
  • From the Neolithic rock art of what is now Libya to ancient Egypt, China and India, to medieval and Renaissance Europe, creatures at borderlands of what was taken to be civilization were represented as cynocephalic, that is, humans with dog heads.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
  • Multiple generations of Neolithic designers relied on communal teamwork and clever construction techniques to precisely place each of the site’s gigantic megaliths about 5,000 years ago.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 June 2026
Definition of neolithic

Browse Nearby Words

prehensions
prehistoric
prejudge
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prehistoric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prehistoric. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of pundit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All