1
as in main
coming before all others in importance
the primal theme of the essay is toleration of religious diversity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period
there was a period of primal idealism after the founding of the republic and before the rise of partisan politics
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of primal
The survival-horror movie comes from two Spanish short-film veterans with Goya nominations and long festival track records, turning bull-running iconography into primal genre material.
—
Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 25 May 2026
Jack White, who growled and grinded as the singer/guitarist of the White Stripes and has since positioned himself as a primal rock god on his own, is showing a new side as a sculptor with a show opening in a London gallery run by none other than Damien Hirst.
—Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
Munden injected tension and something even more primal and powerful than tension by punctuating Ralph’s efforts to navigate the island with stills of trees.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 20 May 2026
The hectic, electrified, primal scream of a genre can be traced to the 1960s, but really came alive in the ‘70s.
—Siran Babayan, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for primal
Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 25 May 2026
Jack White, who growled and grinded as the singer/guitarist of the White Stripes and has since positioned himself as a primal rock god on his own, is showing a new side as a sculptor with a show opening in a London gallery run by none other than Damien Hirst.
—Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
Munden injected tension and something even more primal and powerful than tension by punctuating Ralph’s efforts to navigate the island with stills of trees.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 20 May 2026
The hectic, electrified, primal scream of a genre can be traced to the 1960s, but really came alive in the ‘70s.
—Siran Babayan, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for primal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primal
Adjective
-
Patrick was addressing attendees of the Republican Party of Texas’ state convention in Houston from the event’s main stage.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 June 2026
-
Reuters — Hungary’s main opposition Fidesz party re-elected former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as its leader on Saturday for another year despite the party’s loss of power in an April 12 election to the center-right Tisza party.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
Its sheer red sandstone cliffs, carved over millions of years, cradle ancient cliff dwellings and rock art that tell stories of the ancestral Puebloans.—
Alia Beard Rau,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
In his younger years, Jacobs would have hunted in ancient forests, now known only to our imaginations—old-growth stands of hemlock, pine, oak, and chestnut, with trees standing more than a hundred feet tall and nearly four hundred years old.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
These powerful systems are well-suited for developing and tuning edge models and agents, but are not primary robotics deployment platforms.—
Bill Curtis,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
Other highlights include a gym and a plush primary suite flaunting a stainless-steel fireplace.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Through the use of backlighting, their silhouettes will be thrown onto the facing walls to form a shadow sculpture evoking primitive graffiti or a hieroglyphic-like language.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
9 June 2026
-
However, several primitive campsites, boat ramps, and fishing piers sprinkled across the area give plenty of access to enjoy the lake at your leisure.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
American resumes flights American Airlines, the predominant carrier at Miami International Airport, resumed its service to Venezuela between Miami and Caracas in late April after a multi-year hiatus.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
28 May 2026
-
During the Indianapolis 500 Sunday, Busch was honored on the 18th lap of the race, 18 being the predominant number on his stock car.—
Jim Clash,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
This 50-square-mile crescent in the Pacific has the southernmost coral reef in the world and a wealth of wilderness walks that include everything from primeval banyan forests to endangered ground-dwelling birds.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Dec. 2025
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Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California Time slows to a primeval pace in the sequoia groves that make up Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, where arboreal giants have watched the seasons come and go for more than 2,000 years.—
Sarah L. Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
When the Phoenix Mercury started chipping away at the Valkyries’ 18-point lead, threatening to turn a dominant night into a late-game nightmare, Golden State had a simple answer.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
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The exhibition challenges audiences to excavate layers of meaning behind these visual documents to reveal the myriad stories muted by a dominant colonial narrative.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
For this project, the British artist and stage designer has conceived a journey across 15 immersive installations, each titled with an evocative name and spotlighting the work of 500 artisans by framing their work with light, a primordial force that is at the heart of her artistic practice.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
9 June 2026
-
Eberly College of Science researcher Daniel Paraizo and colleagues suggest there is a way that primordial black holes of just the right mass could survive this process to undergo a startling transformation.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Primal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primal. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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