primeval

adjective

prī-ˈmē-vəl How to pronounce primeval (audio)
Definition of primevalnext
as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period primeval forests slowly disappearing as the climate changed

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 primeval There was another side to connect with, a rough, primeval, earthly energy. — Literary Hub, 3 Dec. 2025 The primeval lizards also harbor over 50 strains of bacteria in their mouths and their venomous saliva contains an anticoagulant and toxins that induce blood loss, shock, and paralysis in its victim. — Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 12 Nov. 2025 Sez Me … Since the first football player — all hairy and slumped over and naked — climbed out of the primeval swamp and tried to block an animal that hasn’t been seen since that giant asteroid smashed into Earth, it‘s been obvious. — Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025 Filled with unearthly landscapes, primeval forests, and twilight beaches, Anemone’s ornate visual design seems to underscore its characters’ emotional suffocation. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for primeval
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primeval
  1. ancient
  2. primitive
  3. primal
  4. prehistoric
  5. primordial
  6. early
Adjective
  • Archeologists identify it as ancient Samaria, capital of the biblical Kingdom of Israel.
    — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
  • Outside of learning about ancient concentration camps and historic serial killers while Phaedra beams, the moment without Porsha serves as a Hail Mary pass for Shamea to try to salvage some of the damage from the night before.
    — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Definition of ancient
Adjective
  • After observation, scientists learned the meteorite was a CM1/2 carbonaceous chondrite -- an exceptionally rare and primitive type of meteorite, according to a paper published in Science Advances on Wednesday.
    — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 17 July 2026
  • There are two types of primitive CM meteorites — CM1 and CM2 — and the biggest difference between them is how much water altered their composition while they were attached to a larger asteroid.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
Definition of primitive
Adjective
  • Many of the messages are peddling a sense of pride and belonging — primal impulses at the heart of the MAGA movement.
    — Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
  • Watching a mother turtle haul herself ashore under a canopy of stars to lay her eggs is a truly primal and humbling sight.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 5 July 2026
Definition of primal
Adjective
  • While the area was formerly covered by prehistoric lakes, today the water here mainly exists as seasonal wetlands, gurgling geysers, hot springs, and a hypersaline lake that’s saltier than the ocean.
    — Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 18 July 2026
  • The species has remained unchanged since prehistoric times, finding ways to survive while other species became extinct, according to the San Diego Zoo.
    — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 16 July 2026
Definition of prehistoric
Adjective
  • Argentina fans, meanwhile, are unique in all sports—other countries have fan bases that get loud, but a stadium full of Argentineans activates something primordial.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 16 July 2026
  • This is, Meghan O’Gieblyn argues in our June 25, 2026, issue, a distinctly parental anxiety, a primordial kind of maternal metaphor that appears over and over again in writing and interviews about AI development.
    — Meghan O’Gieblyn, The New York Review of Books, 11 July 2026
Definition of primordial
Adjective
  • In a statement, historic preservation group Historic KC said the building once served as the headquarters of the Western Newspaper Union, whose services supplied thousands of weekly newspapers through the country in the early 1900s.
    — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026
  • The final plan, announced Thursday, includes early voting sites at Cabarrus Arena & Events Center, Afton Ridge Library, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s Kannapolis campus, and Cabarrus County EMS Headquarters.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026
Definition of early

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primes
primeval
priming
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Cite this Entry

“Primeval.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primeval. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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