primal

adjective

ˈprī-məl How to pronounce primal (audio)
Definition of primalnext
1
as in main
coming before all others in importance the primal theme of the essay is toleration of religious diversity

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

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 primal The following tracks only get knottier and denser, but Sweeping Promises never stops setting primal immediacy against granular precision and letting the sparks fly. — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 20 Aug. 2026 The children grew manic with glee, their lightsabres flailing, their patriotism sublimated into something more primal. — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 Either way, the spread of kudzu, Burmese pythons, Joro spiders, mosquitoes, killer bees, and Asiatic false hawk’s-beards, to name just a few, has tugged on some primal taproot in us. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 In many corners of the internet, tallow isn’t marketed simply as a moisturizer but as a return to something more primal and distinctly masculine. — Jenna Belhumeur, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for primal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primal
  1. main
  2. ancient
  3. primary
  4. primitive
  5. predominant
  6. primeval
  7. dominant
  8. primordial
Adjective
  • Rhodes owes Orton another lick after getting punted in the head following their WrestleMania 42 Night 1 main event brawl.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Spectrum’s second flight began with ignition of the rocket’s nine Aquila main engines, burning a mixture of propane and liquid oxygen propellants to generate more than 150,000 pounds (675 kilonewtons) of thrust.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of main
Adjective
  • Although there are plenty of books in three languages (Arabic, French, and English), there are also museums, a planetarium, and a lab dedicated to restoring and preserving ancient manuscripts.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Unlike the other four, it was not protected as an ancient monument because it was believed to have been lost.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of ancient
Adjective
  • The club prefers Taylor to serve as the primary organizational voice to relay its message — and to take the brunt of criticism.
    — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The charcoal floor tiling and island in the corner kitchen feel like something Rick Owens would have dreamed up, as are the primary bathroom’s concrete floors and shower stall.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of primary
Adjective
  • Between these spaces exists a world balanced on the edge of the modern and the primitive, the high-tech and the rural, the corporeal and the mythic.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026
  • When the Followers began, healthcare on the Western frontier was primitive, unsanitary and riddled with con artists peddling fake cures.
    — Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of primitive
Adjective
  • So the Fed's predominant focus right now should be on prices.
    — Scott Horsley, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Environmental samples collected from the market, specifically in areas where wildlife sales were predominant, contained SARS-CoV-2 genetic material.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of predominant
Adjective
  • The work required felling primeval trees measuring six feet in diameter and digging a deep trench through the marsh to accommodate boat traffic.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Yeti takes place deep in the Alps, where an avalanche has unleashed something primeval from the glacial ice.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
Definition of primeval
Adjective
  • Vuskovic’s early pairing with 34-year-old skipper Lewis Dunk — who has also played every minute in the league this season — looks like being a dominant partnership for Hurzeler.
    — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • In the dominant 56-7 win over FCS opponent Lafayette College, new head coach Jason Candle and his staff was able to see two different quarterbacks throw to 13 different receivers and hand the ball off to five different running backs.
    — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of dominant
Adjective
  • Dark stars are hypothetical primordial stars that, rather than producing energy through nuclear fusion, are instead powered by self-annihilating dark matter within their cores.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Their results recently published in the journal Physical Review Letters signal a major breakthrough in quantum physics—one that indicates a primordial quark-gluon plasma soup is actually possible with lighter ingredients.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of primordial

Browse Nearby Words

prima facie
primal
primarily
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Cite this Entry

“Primal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primal. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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