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
Land is a primal word, primordial even, like lava.
—
Tommy Orange, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2026
Being able to peel all of those back to this primal core, connecting with nature, seeing just the beauty of sunrises and sunsets and experiencing that with a group of strangers that then could potentially become lifelong friends.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Seeing that the troupe has been mining primal drama for 100 years now—Greek myth, political rebellion, human sacrifice, and every shade of grief—that’s a big ask.
—Faye Arthurs, Air Mail, 17 Jan. 2026
But the primal drive to hook the first walleye of winter—and post the trophy on social media—can lead to questionable choices.
—Stephanie Pearson, Outside, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for primal
Tommy Orange, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2026
Being able to peel all of those back to this primal core, connecting with nature, seeing just the beauty of sunrises and sunsets and experiencing that with a group of strangers that then could potentially become lifelong friends.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Seeing that the troupe has been mining primal drama for 100 years now—Greek myth, political rebellion, human sacrifice, and every shade of grief—that’s a big ask.
—Faye Arthurs, Air Mail, 17 Jan. 2026
But the primal drive to hook the first walleye of winter—and post the trophy on social media—can lead to questionable choices.
—Stephanie Pearson, Outside, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for primal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primal
Adjective
-
The drinks themselves Berghain’s drink selection is certainly not the club’s main point of attraction.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Then his main competitor, Yuma Yagiyama of Japan, had a subpar skate just before Malinin took the ice as the last skater of the night.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
On Monday, hundreds of millions of viewers witnessed an unprecedented fusion of ancient tradition and cutting-edge robotics at the 2026 China Media Group Spring Festival Gala.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Scientists believe the geology of Mars may hold valuable clues about past ancient life, and so the robotic vehicles, controlled remotely from Earth, have slowly navigated the rocky terrain to scoop up and collect intriguing samples.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And director Hammond doesn’t let the primitive miniseries technology defeat him.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Their design was unpolished, even primitive, seemingly to convey a sense of slapdash amateurishness.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Turnout on the second day of early voting in Tarrant County outshined the already impressive number of ballots cast on Day One of the primary races.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 Feb. 2026
-
A lot has changed in New Albany in the 174 years since the church opened and its clock tower served as the town’s primary time source.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
19 Feb. 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
-
In the labs, visitors are shown how scientists take red blood cells from a developing egg embryo – within the blood will be the primordial germ cells, which develop into egg and sperm in adult birds.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Readers who discover Joy Williams’s astonishing second novel in 2018 may be surprised to feel a primordial déjà vu; a tingling where their own antlers might have been, once upon a time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But the predominant response has been one of welcome, support and encouragement.—
Will Barker,
TheWeek,
10 Feb. 2026
-
For the past fifty years, the predominant theory held that our capacity to parse complicated syntax rested on specialized, innate faculties.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Dane enjoyed a robust TV and film career that began in the early 1990s.—
Alli Rosenbloom,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Joan, Adrià, and Ana, Annua’s director of marketing and communications, reveal early plans for a series of cottages that incorporate biophilic design on the plot currently home to rows of olive trees beyond the pool; however, at the time of writing, these are subject to planning restrictions.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Primal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primal. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
