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 Some went as far as likening the outage to life in prehistoric times or descending into madness. — Angela Yang, NBC news, 2 Nov. 2026 That finding raises new questions about how long certain groups of prehistoric marine predators survived. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2026 Other witnesses reported smaller, hairy creatures, a prehistoric-looking bird and a worm allegedly measuring 8 feet long. — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026 But moving beyond prehistoric time to the last century, comparison still had constraints. — Ashwini Nadkarni, Time, 24 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prehistoric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prehistoric
  1. archaic
  2. obsolete
  3. medieval
  4. antiquated
  5. neolithic
Adjective
  • In addition, the belief that hip-hop artists are required to acquiesce and musically circumscribe themselves to appease mainstream audiences is archaic in many respects.
    — Preezy Brown, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2026
  • In addition, the belief that hip-hop artists are required to acquiesce and musically circumcise themselves to appease mainstream audiences is archaic in many respects.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of archaic
Adjective
  • The spreadsheet era has lasted far too long, along with QA practices that were rendered obsolete three to four years ago.
    — Stefan Gogoll, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • For Picasso, the new was power; its will to render obsolete what came before was as irresistible as a force of nature.
    — Michael Brenson, Vogue, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of obsolete
Adjective
  • In Germany, archaeologists discovered a medieval tunnel beneath a prehistoric burial site after initially mistaking its entrance for a grave.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 2026
  • In Kate’s office, Bromilow is Agnes, Kate’s boss, with an apex predator’s instincts and a medieval court’s management style; Macmillan plays Brian an effortlessly charming, quietly ruthless high-flyer; Hill is Georgie, Kate’s cunning rival.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of medieval
Adjective
  • Both Mullin and Duffy blamed an antiquated air traffic control system and a lack of funding from Congress to fix it.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 13 Nov. 2026
  • In great part, the antiquated system was overwhelmed, Duffy said at a ramshackle White House briefing after the ground stop ceased.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 13 Nov. 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 15 Nov. 2026.

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