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
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
Cumming then invited everyone in attendance to join him in a collective primal scream at world events.
—
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 22 Feb. 2026
Perhaps there’s no such thing as perfect when a film’s emotional scope is so ambitious and so primal, all at once.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
Dog Day Afternoon is the third rail of male love and loneliness—a primal scream from the sweltering streets of a stone broke New York City.
—Jenny Lumet, Vanity Fair, 10 Feb. 2026
Focusing strictly on survival, the History series strands 10 individuals by themselves in the wilderness, testing their primal instincts and adaptability.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for primal
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 22 Feb. 2026
Perhaps there’s no such thing as perfect when a film’s emotional scope is so ambitious and so primal, all at once.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
Dog Day Afternoon is the third rail of male love and loneliness—a primal scream from the sweltering streets of a stone broke New York City.
—Jenny Lumet, Vanity Fair, 10 Feb. 2026
Focusing strictly on survival, the History series strands 10 individuals by themselves in the wilderness, testing their primal instincts and adaptability.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for primal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primal
Adjective
-
The Iranian strikes in Israel came after Tehran's main nuclear enrichment site at Natanz was hit earlier in the day.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Manchester City Liverpool fans have mostly sided with their main title rival of the past decade, with over 70 per cent wanting City to win the league.—
Caoimhe O'Neill,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The layout of the common areas is reminiscent of traditional ancient Roman housing (there are a lot of curves), albeit with bright walls plastered with contemporary artwork by local and international artists.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Mar. 2026
-
And now a new study of ancient grape seeds found across France adds to the puzzle, revealing that humans have been consuming at least one grape variety for hundreds of years.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There are nine primitive, tent-only sites without electric access.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Anacapa Island, for instance, has no services aside from some primitive campsites, a lighthouse and limited hiking options, but is also a major seabird rookery from April to August, which translates to lots of bird poop, noise, bird carcasses and territorial bird behavior.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Not everyone is happy with the change, including those who see it as more of an adaptation to partisanship and primary politics.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
-
About 30 states are continuing the fight on their own to break up the company from Ticketmaster, which controls 80% of major concert venues’ primary ticketing.—
Paul Flahive,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Mar. 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
-
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
-
Scientists at Colossal have cultivated primordial germ cells — early precursors to sperm and egg cells — from the pigeon, the dodo’s closest living relative.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Scientists at the company have cultivated primordial germ cells — early precursors to sperm and egg cells — from the pigeon, the dodo’s closest living relative.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And what’s so predominant is the characters are no bigger than the story.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Dark green is the predominant color in this manicure even though a black shade serves as the base.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
While the upcoming week looks dry across Central Texas, there are signs of a wetter pattern developing toward the end of March and into early April.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The Athletic can also reveal FSG looked into buying a minority stake of less than 30 per cent in Monaco in early 2025 alongside another ownership group but, again, decided not to take it any further.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Primal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primal. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
