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

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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 According to paleontologists, a megalodon was an ancient shark that prowled the prehistoric seas millions of years ago. — Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 15 Aug. 2026 Now, The End of Oak Street is proving a dino blockbuster that serves up prehistoric horror with a side of genuine pathos is still a worthy endeavor. — Megan McCluskey, Time, 14 Aug. 2026 Meek is credited as the character Kaden Tucker in The End of Oak Street, which follows Hathaway, 43, and McGregor, 55, as a married couple whose entire neighborhood is supernaturally brought into prehistoric times. — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026 Researchers believe this shows a deeply interconnected relationship between those prehistoric peoples and their surrounding environment. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prehistoric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prehistoric
  1. archaic
  2. obsolete
  3. medieval
  4. antiquated
  5. neolithic
Adjective
  • And the rest is public perception, which has shifted against what many Americans see as a dirty, archaic form of power generation.
    — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Now, if the league would drop its archaic blackout rules, this would be a lot easier for everyone.
    — Scott Powers, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of archaic
Adjective
  • The key difference between these projects and the more artisanal ones being embraced by China and others is that their purpose remains primarily legalistic, focused on achieving change by adhering to increasingly obsolete frameworks.
    — Mark Leonard, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • This doesn’t make information architecture obsolete by any means.
    — Dave Foster, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of obsolete
Adjective
  • Another day trip option is the hilltop town of Erice, where there's a medieval fortress that's over 2,500 years old.
    — Megan Rose Murray, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026
  • According to a medieval historian at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in England, Pope Alexander had his own bone to pick with King Harold.
    — Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of medieval
Adjective
  • The revisions by Takaichi's government to the antiquated law is meant to solidify the principle of the crucial imperial bloodline but pushes aside the emperor’s daughter.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Viewed through a 2026 lens, this now antiquated process seems like a herculean undertaking, one that somehow worked.
    — Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 12 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

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prehistoric
prejudge
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Cite this Entry

“Prehistoric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prehistoric. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of prehistoric for Spanish Speakers

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