PRIMAL Synonyms: 113 Similar and Opposite Words

primal

adjective

ˈprī-məl

Definition of primal

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

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 Animals could offer liberatory models to throw off bourgeois conventions, returning Surrealists to primal ways of being. — Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Every single song was a pile driver to the head, feeding that primal pleasure of a meaty guitar riff over a heavy drum beat and Johnson’s gritty falsetto. — Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026 The film, which co-stars Michelle Monaghan and Michael Keaton, taps into primal fears of the unknown and danger lurking in our own backyards. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for primal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for primal

Adjective

The delay again has created a potential cash crunch for districts during the wait for their cut — often a main revenue source for local governments — and added to the pile of complaints about the county’s decade-long property tax system upgrade.

— A.D. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
This sandwich gives main character energy, but don’t skip over the other items available at BoJaynes, from specialty spices to wraps.

— Justin Brown, AJC.com, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of main

Adjective

Researchers have found evidence that ancient humans chewed on betel nuts, a stimulant still widely used today.

— Devika Rao, TheWeek, 21 Sep. 2026
The discovery of the tooth, which belonged to an ancient Pacific mastodon, was announced by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) in San Mateo County, California.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of ancient

Adjective

In 2008, a San Francisco court denied Stone's attempt to alter the custody arrangement which listed Bronstein's San Francisco home as Roan's primary residence, with Stone getting visitation rights.

— Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Even with Oracle founder Larry Ellison the primary backer of his son’s ParaBros dreams, the even older Ellison’s net worth, which has been declining of late, may not be able to handle the strain of months and months of such probes.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of primary

Adjective

But their primitive way of living reveals itself to rather more devastating effect when their third child is born, and Inger commits an act of unthinkable desperation.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
The feathers were partially adapted for diving, yet retained primitive, fuzzy down typical of non-avian dinosaurs.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of primitive

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

Kenneth Walker was dominant (and record-breaking) in his regular-season Chiefs debut.

— Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026
The UConn football team traveled more than 1,300 miles to meet Southern Miss in near 100-degree heat for its first road game of the season and left with a dominant, 48-20, win on Saturday night.

— Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of dominant

Adjective

Planting fake dark matter signals There are several candidates for what dark matter could be, including primordial black holes or an undiscovered particle.

— Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of primordial

Browse Nearby Words

prima facie

primal

primarily

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“Primal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primal. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of primal

adjective

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