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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of primal
There’s something about the night sounds and waking up to dewdrops on the grass that really just scratches a primal itch.
—
Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2025
The moral scaffolding that keeps us from giving in to our primal desires gets ripped away and, naturally, very rudimentary notions of decency fall apart.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2025
For one thing, human brains appear to be wired for short term gains, a kind of primal instinct of survival that puts a premium on what could be captured today.
—Harry Kraemer, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
At their heart is some primal fear: that evil, or evil people, can control us without our even realizing it.
—Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primal
Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2025
The moral scaffolding that keeps us from giving in to our primal desires gets ripped away and, naturally, very rudimentary notions of decency fall apart.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2025
For one thing, human brains appear to be wired for short term gains, a kind of primal instinct of survival that puts a premium on what could be captured today.
—Harry Kraemer, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
At their heart is some primal fear: that evil, or evil people, can control us without our even realizing it.
—Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primal
Adjective
-
The rest of the body's main chakras are located down the five segments of the spine—cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum, and coccyx—which are governed by the sympathetic nervous system.—
Tony Sanchez,
Time,
25 Apr. 2025
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One study showed that consuming moderate- and high-GI fruits after main meals can improve blood insulin and insulin function.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Accessible by boat, air, or an ancient Roman causeway that appears only at low tide, the sprawling 380-acre island compound is now on the market for £25 million (about $33.2 million) with Knight Frank and Fine & Country.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
1 May 2025
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There, another ancient species disappeared long ago and left behind artifacts.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
1 May 2025
Adjective
-
Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.—
Joseph J. Kolb,
Fox News,
18 July 2017
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Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Adjective
-
Training the model may have involved over 20,000 high-end GPUs working in concert—an expense few organizations besides OpenAI and its primary backer, Microsoft, could afford.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2025
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Lawmakers passed a new law this year that will make firing squads the state's primary method of execution, starting next year.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Los Angeles, like the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the Santa Monica Mountains, will never return to its primeval state.—
Edward Ring,
Oc Register,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Six secluded individual bungalows sit behind a network of thriving greenery meant to evoke Miyakojima’s inland primeval forests.—
Kristin Braswell,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The company’s project involved recovering DNA of the extinct dire wolf from a fossil tooth found in Idaho and an ear bone in Ohio, parts of the animal’s primordial habitat, but the key was its editing of a donor genome of the gray wolf to alter 14 of its genes.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
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Her analysis of dreams taps into a primordial function that night visions played in human society long before Freud showed up.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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So the predominant number of that 3,500 is from the Civil War.—
Stephen Humphries,
Christian Science Monitor,
30 Apr. 2025
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Schiava was for a long while the predominant grape of AA, yet it was not held in high regard.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Well, a team of scientists unearthed ancient footprints that offer insight into how various prehistoric animals lived as far back as 50 million years.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
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Before boarding the barge in Inverness, travelers can visit Culloden Moor, the scene of the famous 1746 battle, a pivotal moment in Outlander and Clava Cairns, the burial site of a prehistoric clan chieftain, widely believed to have inspired the standing stones of Craigh na Dun in the series.—
Emese Maczko,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Primal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primal. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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